Therefore, criminals can get support from the Swedish Public Employment Service – Arbetet

The fact that a businessman was previously convicted of fraud against the Swedish Public Employment Service is not a sufficient reason to refuse new money from the same authority. This was stated in a letter to the government in which the authority is requesting a number of changes to the rules so that it can deprive rogue employers and criminals of support.

Today, there are only a few specific situations where the Swedish Public Employment Service has the right to say no.

We can refuse support unless there is a trade ban, insignificant tax debts and payment notes, says Anna Middelmann, Legal Director of the Swedish Public Employment Service.

There is no reason to refuse from atrial fibrillation

According to the letter, the previous gross fraud against the Swedish Public Employment Service is not enough to refuse support.

Nor is the reason for the refusal that the business owner has received tax debts and then changed shape by forming a new company, with the same people behind it.

The Swedish Public Employment Service wants to introduce such barriers and also wants to be able to refuse support when all jobs are funded with support from the Swedish Public Employment Service.

– So it is not a leadership activity, and then you can also consider if there is a reason to provide support. But there is no reason to refuse, Anna Middleman says.

In addition, the authority wants to say no to subsidies when “there is reason to assume that the employer is not doing any actual work.” There is no such barrier at present.

Already in May last year, the Swedish Public Employment Service submitted its proposals to the government. The letter states that the authority is part of a joint government initiative against organized crime – but at the same time it “lacks the regulatory support to disenfranchise an employer that is part of the support and compensation for organized crime”.

Support is used by criminals

Anna Middleman says there are examples of extensive criminal investigations and convictions in which SPS support has been used by criminals. The extent of the abuse is hard to predict in advance, but she says the risks of such new situations will decrease as stricter preconditions are required.

We can’t say she’ll pick up everything, but she does give us the tools.

And so the letter was sent to the government nearly a year ago.

We haven’t had a response yet, says Anna Middleman.

The crime center will be built

In February, the government announced that it would continue to build on an already existing work crime initiative. Regional centers where authorities work together, including the Swedish Public Employment Service, will be built across the country.

At the same time, the Swedish Public Employment Service requires tools to prevent this type of crime.

When the authorities, in collaboration with Career Crime, submitted a case report earlier this year, they also emphasized that they wanted to see changes to the Swedish Public Employment Service laws so they could refuse to support inappropriate employment for employers.

At the moment, the government cannot say whether or not the required rule changes will be made.

– The case is still under preparation in government offices, answers the press service of the Ministry of Labor.

Investigators want to tighten the law

A government investigation from the end of last year indicates that the Swedish Migration Agency, which is also part of the cooperation against work-related crime, is facing similar difficulties as the Swedish Public Employment Service.

Detective Anita Linder wrote that there is nothing expressly preventing work permits from being granted work permits by employers who have previously exploited migrant workers.

She suggests tightening the law when permits are refused. Her proposal was put up for consultation and is now on the government’s table.