Sweden's National Fraud Center (NBC) faces allegations of misconduct after reportedly stopping a police investigation into Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski. According to reports from TV4's Kalla fakta and Aftonbladet, Siemiatkowski was suspected of aiding fraud or money laundering related to Klarna's alleged collaboration with fraudsters selling fake medicines.
The controversy began after a February TV4 investigation revealed that the payment service Klarna had worked with multiple fraudulent online shops. The head of Uppsala Police's fraud unit reportedly wrote an email asking who would file a criminal complaint against Siemiatkowski. Instead of pursuing an investigation, the NBC responded that it cooperates with Klarna and had proposed measures to address the issues.
I have never seen such behavior in all my 30 years. It's lacking judgment.
Former prosecutor Thomas Forsberg criticized the NBC's actions, stating, 'I have never seen such behavior in all my 30 years. It's lacking judgment.' According to Forsberg, the NBC is obligated to report the crimes. The reports indicate Klarna collaborated with fraudsters selling fake medicines using AI-generated fake videos. The NBC's decision to cooperate with Klarna rather than investigate has raised suspicions of misconduct and conflict of interest within the police unit.