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On the morning of October 30, two employees got into the car, in the then East Gothenburg district, and drove more than ten miles to Ullared, where the Gekås shopping center is located. Once there, they stopped for three hours before returning. The trip had not been approved in advance by his boss and was not mentioned in the car’s log either. Still, they later explained the trip by saying the car needed to be “tested.”
– As they explain, there was a reason for this trip. They were going to test this car that had technical problems. But it still seems strange to choose the Ullared destination, says In-Anna Knutsdotter, an internal controller in the City of Gothenburg’s whistle-blowing function.
Sounds just like a shopping trip?
– If it does. I don’t know what they did in Ullared, but they stayed there for three hours and had no more duties to perform in Ullared. But that’s what the administration’s investigation can delve into.
One of the employees was on duty during the trip, the other was on vacation.
At the end of the year, Gothenburg’s district administrations were closed. The current activities are now part of the Elders and the welfare and welfare administration.
Control systems did not work
The municipality’s investigation also shows that this is not the first time that employees have used taxpayers’ cars privately.
“In discussions with affected employees, it appears that the vehicles were used to travel between work and home on one occasion by one employee, and on several occasions by the other employee,” the district administration writes in its response to the feature of Whistleblowing of the City of Gothenburg.
The issue is now handled as a disciplinary matter.
– We have started it and we have a continuous dialogue with the employees involved, says the manager of the person.
– As for these two employees, it is serious, but it may also have been the case that there have been ancient cultures that we have not managed to eliminate fast enough.
Is there an unhealthy culture in the administration?
– No, there may still be traces of it, but from my position I do not feel that it is something general.
It also points out that it is serious that the administration’s control system has not worked.
– It is very clear that the internal review and internal controls that must be carried out in accordance with all the rules of the art have not been carried out to a wide enough extent or with sufficient care.
Recurring problems that abuse the cars of the municipality
In recent years, the municipality’s cars have been used privately in a number of dubious contexts, in some cases illegal.
A police investigation is underway after Gothenburg tram employees are suspected of driving township cars to sell stolen copper wire.
READ MORE: Four Gothenburg tram employees are suspected of copper theft in police investigation
GP’s review of Gothenburg’s trams in the fall of 2018 showed that the municipal company’s cars were used on various long-distance trips. The control systems were so poor that the company often couldn’t tell who was behind the wheel.
In 2015, GP also revealed that the park’s work vehicles and nature management were used for paving stones in a private luxury villa.
Even in the districts, there are several other examples of misuse of the municipality’s cars.
– There is something that unfortunately happens that should not happen. It is important to have good systems for tracking, but also that you actually do follow up. It’s not enough to have a system in place if you never follow it, says In-Anna Knutsdotter.
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