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The director of the Swedish Public Employment Service says she appreciates that DN readers have been able to understand how the authority has acted towards the Kurdish association and seven other non-profit associations in Tensta, west of Stockholm, over the past year. But CEO Maria Mindhammar does not refer to how SEK 21.2 million in wage subsidies could be paid to associations for allegedly wrong reasons, without the Swedish Public Employment Service finally hitting the handbrake.
– In fact, we were the ones who discovered this in our own controls. We then passed on what was seen to other authorities, says Maria Mindhammar when DN meets her at the central office of the Swedish Public Employment Service in Solna.
From here it is only a ten minute drive to Nydalsparken in Tensta, where the relevant associations had their activities. Still, it would be seven years before some of the roughly 1,400 head office employees went to the suburbs to investigate whether the many unemployed placed there actually did any work.
– Yes, it is a long time and of course you have to take it into account and think about it, says Maria Mindhammar.
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The managing director of Arbetsförmedlingen, Maria Mindhammar, describes the effort against the associations in Tensta as successful, despite the fact that incorrectly paid wage subsidies could not be recovered. “We have potential for improvement, but I’m very happy that our control system worked in this case,” she says.
Photo: Daniel Costantini
The first without notice the visit to the associations took place just over a year ago. As reported by DN, operations controller Christina Thuvander and her colleagues did not find a single one of the 15 or so people who at the time were receiving a wage subsidy of just over 20,000 kroner a month. The CEO calls it all “very, very serious.”
– These are criminal acts that you provide us with information and fraudulently sign things that you do not comply with, says Maria Mindhammar.
– I assume this will be a police operation in one form or another.
When the wage subsidy initiative was launched in Tensta in 2012, the Swedish Public Employment Service had already been criticized for prioritizing results over control. But Maria Mindhammar, who later worked as the Enforcement Officer, says she received a report that the responsible officers actually did all the necessary investigations.
– They verified the payment comments, that there was insurance, that the employer was registered correctly, etc. And then the employer signed an affidavit.
When the Swedish Public Employment Service, after seven years, made an unannounced visit to the premises of an association in Tensta, it was discovered that none of those receiving wage subsidies worked there.
Photo: Magnus Hallgren
Collaboration between the Swedish Public Employment Service and the associations were also appreciated internally, according to DN sources. People who had been unemployed for a long time and who also had disabilities suddenly came to work one by one. The associations, according to their own description, constantly received new proposals from the local AF offices. The fact that they were also prepared to receive men who had been in prison for a long time must have been seen as particularly positive.
– Even if you are convicted of something, you can rehabilitate to become an employee, who can have a good life. And it is also an important task, says Maria Mindhammar.
His image is that the Kurdish association and its seven sister associations were considered to need a total of about 60 employees for “creating security” and help for the newcomers over the seven-year period. According to her, the police advice on prudence in the payment of grants to non-profit associations had not been relevant here.
– There are many non-profit associations that are very serious and do a great benefit to society. The important thing is that we check initially and then do follow-up checks.
And according to Maria Mindhammar, it was the latter that broke. Why and in what way does not go into detail. But the image it gives is that a gradual increase in cheating was not detected due to lack of routines.
Photo: Daniel Costantini
One of the employment agents DN spoke to says that “a green suit trumps everything” and then says that labor statistics have been the most important thing. Could be like this?
– Absolutely not. We must have quality in our decisions. So there is always a balance, of course, because we want to support the unemployed to get active.
How do you think trust in the Swedish public employment service has been affected?
– It is never good when you feel that an authority has not verified for a long time. But we have actually discovered this and we have also ended relationships.
What is your plan so that the Swedish Public Employment Service does not make new mistakes?
– We have developed and continue to develop our control system. We are concentrating on different parts to make it more efficient. And now we see in the budget bill that we will receive additional funds and use them to continue cooperating with other authorities.
Read more: Millions of wage subsidies are believed to have been paid for the wrong reasons
