A major bribery scandal has emerged within Stockholm's public transport system, with suspected corruption involving 14-15 million Swedish kronor. According to SVT Nyheter, two people are currently detained on probable grounds suspected of serious bribery, one for taking bribes and one for giving them. The scandal involves the traffic administration of Region Stockholm and has led to an internal review of procedures at SL (Stockholm Public Transport).
SL's communications chief Suss Forssman Thullberg stated that the company must examine whether its internal routines and processes have failed. "We must look at whether there is something in our internal routines and processes that has failed," she said. The bribery network was reportedly discovered by the Swedish Tax Agency (Skattemyndigheten), which noticed suspicious payments to the company involved.
The suspicions are terribly serious. It could mean that tax money has gone to the wrong people,
According to prosecutor Arne Fors at the national corruption unit, the preliminary investigation involves 14-15 million kronor that went to various recipients. The Stockholm District Court has decided to freeze six million kronor in the company involved in the bribery network. In total, five people are suspected in the case, including current and former employees of the traffic administration, as well as relatives of those detained.
The suspected bribes allegedly involved a businessman paying money to secure subcontractor assignments with a company that has contracts with SL. According to information to SVT, deficiencies in SL's routines may have contributed to the suspected bribery offenses, including issues with authorization limits for approving payments and improper handling of payment attestations.