Union Leader Convicted: Cheated on His 1.9 Million Employer | News

Henrik Ehrenberg was the head of social policy for the Unionen union when he sent a false invoice of 1,911,000 SEK to his employer in 2019. The invoice applies to alleged consulting services for one year.

The union reported the matter to the police and was convicted by the Stockholm District Court on Tuesday of serious fraud. The penalty will be the suspension of the sentence and 240 hours of community service, which according to the penalty corresponds to a prison term of one year.

“Deeply regretful”

– My client has recognized and paid. He is deeply regretful and wants to put the matter behind him and repair the damage he caused to the best of his ability, says attorney Henrik Olsson Lilja.

– It was an event that occurred due to personal circumstances that put a lot of pressure on him, he says.

Henrik Ehrenberg declines to comment.

Have paid

“Considering the size of the amount, approximately 1.9 million SEK, and that he has acted in a position of trust with his employer, the offense should be considered a serious fraud.”, is established in the sentence.

The motive for the crime was that Henrik Ehrenberg was in “A very difficult situation” after a property division and “He was desperate to try to pay off the mortgage so he could keep the house.”writes the district court. Was “In impulshandling”, is called.

According to the ruling, Henrik Ehrenberg has reimbursed the Union the amount of 1.9 million SEK. And so far it has paid half of the approximately SEK 460,000 that are the Union’s legal costs.

Resigned after a crisis meeting

Ehrenberg resigned in October 2019 from his position as head of the society after a crisis meeting in the Union, after the fraud was discovered.

“I can confirm that I resigned from the Union today for personal reasons,” he told Expressen at the time.

It was revealed when the Union crossed several budget lines. Then an invoice was discovered that did not match the one that had been provided to the union.

Henrik Ehrenberg also has a past as a politician in the Christian Democracy and was chief of staff of the former party leader Göran Hägglund.