He is chasing EU fraudsters in Sweden: « We need to become more in the long run »
Several computers and telephones were seized last Wednesday under a police law against Överkalix municipality, where two employees have been served on suspicion of serious subsidy abuse.
– That is, a granted and paid support has been used in a different way than it was granted, says prosecutor Jerker Asplund.
Since the turn of the year he is working As one of two European delegated prosecutors, placed at the Swedish Crime Authority in Stockholm. The investigation relating to Överkalix is one of two ongoing cases of suspected subsidy abuse, then Sweden last summer became part of the EU Prosecutor’s Office Eppo. Suspected crime of this kind has previously been handled by national prosecutors within the Swedish Crime Authority.
– We will invest more in this type of crime. We put resources to seek out the authorities that report, with information about what to find out before you sign up for us. The goal is an increased clearance percentage, he says.
EU funds are usually distributed by national authorities. Officers who grant funds can detect any abuse of money. The case in Överkalix, where the Swedish Board of Agriculture has made a notification, concerns a project for support for companies and associations part-financed with approximately SEK 450,000 in EU funds.
Jerker Asplund emphasizes that the preliminary investigation is in his infancy. A review of seized material is now underway in the form of computers and phones, he says.
The two municipal employees in Överkalix municipality deny crime.
– We have not done anything wrong. We have followed the directives we have received from our project contacts. These are completely wrong accusations, one of them tells DN.
The municipal council’s chairman in Överkalix, Niclas Hökfors (S), has stated for the newspaper NSD that he continues to have full confidence in the employees concerned.
The case is comparatively small speaking Jerker Asplund states to the EU common assignment. The largest resources are spent on investigations of cross-border organized crime and complicated fraud and corruption conditions.
Jerker Asplund estimates that in the long term, more European delegated prosecutors based in Sweden will be required, linked to the more resource -intensive cases.
-Sweden, in our opinion, is an MTIC-hub, we already have three major cases.
So-called MTIC Crime (Missing Trader Intra-Community Fraud) is VAT fraud on cross -border trade within the EUwhere the values are estimated at hundreds of billions of SEK annually.
– There are cases where you may need to sit for months and work with just them. In its character, the crimes are completely cross -border. They are always committed in several EU countries at the same time. European delegated prosecutors sit in all countries and put puzzles, he says.
