Shahram Soltani produces alcoholic fruit wine according to Persian tradition in Gemla outside Växjö. Over two years ago, he received an incorrect prohibition from the Swedish Food Agency, meaning he could not produce or sell his products. After receiving help from the organization Center for Justice, the decision was overturned after five months.
His company could neither produce nor sell products for several months. The Chancellor of Justice (JK) has investigated the extent of damage Shahram Soltani suffered and offers no compensation. According to the decision, Shahram Soltani and the Center for Justice have not succeeded in proving that he suffered any economic damage.
According to JK, there is insufficient support for damage and causality in the material they have received, including a lack of documentation over destroyed grapes. "They shut down my business without checking if it was legal. But when it comes to compensation, they are very formalistic, it doesn't feel fair," says Shahram Soltani.
"There have been errors and negligence that are indeed grounds for damages, but that alone is not enough," says Anna Falk, head of department at the Chancellor of Justice (JK). "JK has not fully understood the material and has not given us the opportunity to explain what they do not understand," says Fredrik Bäärnhielm Thorslund, lawyer at the Center for Justice. Now it remains for Shahram Soltani and his legal counsel to proceed and sue the state, where they will have the opportunity to explain their material orally in court.
"It's a bit frustrating when I think about it becoming a new long process," says winemaker Shahram Soltani to SVT.