Minister admits false income details
After leaving parliament in 1998 Sweden's new environment minister Andreas Carlgren supplied false income details. As a result he received 130,000 kronor too much in guaranteed income. Carlgren says that he has since rectified the error.
It was as a result of a failure to supply income details from the Centre Party and Vin & Sprit that Carlgren received a parliamentary income guarantee that was too high, according to Sveriges Radio.
Andreas Carlgren claims to have made contact with the parliamentary authorities on his own initiative.
"I wanted to make absolutely sure that it was correct but it turned out that it was actually wrong and we agreed that I should repay the sum," said Carlgren.
Carlgren further claims that it is not possible that anybody else might have known about his income details and caught him out.
"It is out of the question that anybody might have prodded me. The parliamentary authorities' statement comes as a sort of pay slip. I am the only one who received it in the post," Carlgren added.
However, several people with access to the Centre Party leadership have told Sveriges Radio that Carlgren's version of events does not stand up. According to sources, the minister was caught taking simultaneous payments from the parliamentary authorities and his party.
Carlgren was then pushed to make contact with the parliamentary authorities and rectify the situation. It was first then that he called the parliamentary authorities.
According to Carlgren, he did not supply the parliamentary authorities with his income details from the Centre Party and Vin & Sprit simply because he had misunderstood what was counted as a pensionable income.
"Although these incomes didn't provide me with a pension, they are referred to as pensionable incomes under the National Insurance Act.
"A lot of people have made this same mistake. In my case it amounted to quite a lot of money and we agreed that I should pay it back."
The income guarantee is paid to any member of parliament who has left before the age of 65 and has sat in parliament for at least 3 years.
Earnings from any new job an MP takes on after leaving parliament are to be subtracted from the income guarantee.
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It was as a result of a failure to supply income details from the Centre Party and Vin & Sprit that Carlgren received a parliamentary income guarantee that was too high, according to Sveriges Radio.
Andreas Carlgren claims to have made contact with the parliamentary authorities on his own initiative.
"I wanted to make absolutely sure that it was correct but it turned out that it was actually wrong and we agreed that I should repay the sum," said Carlgren.
Carlgren further claims that it is not possible that anybody else might have known about his income details and caught him out.
"It is out of the question that anybody might have prodded me. The parliamentary authorities' statement comes as a sort of pay slip. I am the only one who received it in the post," Carlgren added.
However, several people with access to the Centre Party leadership have told Sveriges Radio that Carlgren's version of events does not stand up. According to sources, the minister was caught taking simultaneous payments from the parliamentary authorities and his party.
Carlgren was then pushed to make contact with the parliamentary authorities and rectify the situation. It was first then that he called the parliamentary authorities.
According to Carlgren, he did not supply the parliamentary authorities with his income details from the Centre Party and Vin & Sprit simply because he had misunderstood what was counted as a pensionable income.
"Although these incomes didn't provide me with a pension, they are referred to as pensionable incomes under the National Insurance Act.
"A lot of people have made this same mistake. In my case it amounted to quite a lot of money and we agreed that I should pay it back."
The income guarantee is paid to any member of parliament who has left before the age of 65 and has sat in parliament for at least 3 years.
Earnings from any new job an MP takes on after leaving parliament are to be subtracted from the income guarantee.
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