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Fazel Fazly is the head of the presidential administration in Afghanistan. At the same time, it is registered in Sweden, where parental benefit is also suspected of having increased.
The case, which Aftonbladet was the first to report on Wednesday, recalls last year’s revelation about then-Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari, who also received Swedish grants.
In less than a year, two people with high positions in foreign governments have been investigated for an incorrect population registry. It bears witness to the chaos that prevails in the population register, which was once an offshoot of the Swedish parade.
It also provides new fuel for the debate on the need for a new census in Sweden. Local Social Democratic politicians responsible for particularly vulnerable areas, like Boel Godner from Södertälje, have long demanded a new census. Last winter, SD and KD did the same and during the summer, L and M supported the idea as well. At the national level, however, Social Democrats take up the idea and refer to an investigation that will be completed next year.
That’s not enough. The Swedish Revenue Agency has estimated that around 200,000 people may be registered at the wrong address. It offers great opportunities to commit crime in a welfare state like Sweden, where both the benefits and the tax rate are determined by where you live.
They can be, for example, couples who differentiate themselves to be able to demand more in scholarships and people who buy condos but keep the rental apartment to rent it.
A report on organized crime last year also mentions the phenomenon of people moving abroad, but withholding benefits to which they are not entitled. A closely related crime reported by various authorities is that of family members who do not report deaths that occur abroad in order to continue receiving a Swedish pension.
It must not be as easy to deceive the state as it is today.
The authorities also need other tools to be able to combat subsidy crimes. The police should have the exclusive right to issue identity documents. The secret between the authorities and within them must be able to be broken in more cases. Biometrics should be used to counter dual identities. The government should prioritize services in favor of control in regulatory letters to authorities.
Critics are right that a complete physical census would be extremely expensive. But what is needed is not officials knocking on all doors, but classic searches are complemented by careful checks when there is reason to believe that cheating is being committed.
A complete projection of the growing shadow society is hardly possible. Anyone who wants to avoid contact with the state, of course, can. But a lot would be gained if the authorities and municipalities could at least withdraw contributions from those who stay away.
It must not be as easy to deceive the state as it is today.
