Minister affair at the announcement of the Reinfeldt cabinet
Encyclopedia
The minister affair at the announcement of the Reinfeldt cabinet in Sweden
is a political scandal
which started on October 7, 2006 when the Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt
, which had been announced on October 6, immediately became affected by media allegations on past errors on the part of several cabinet ministers, in particular Maria Borelius
, Cecilia Stegö Chilò
and Tobias Billström
. The affair centred around the use of domestic worker
s (nannies
and maid
s) without paying employment (payroll) tax, employer's contribution , unpaid TV licences and other issues. On October 14, 2006 Maria Borelius resigned after eight days in office, and on October 16, 2006 Cecilia Stegö Chilò resigned after ten days in office. Criminal charges have been filed against Borelius, Billström and Stegö Chilò. The affair has also been widely reported by the international press, with the British Financial Times
dubbing it "Nannygate".
was announced two of the ministers, Maria Borelius
and Cecilia Stegö Chilò
, voluntarily admitted that they had previously employed persons to take care of their children (nannies
) without paying the employment (payroll) tax, employer's contribution . Borelius did not face any judicial inquiry following her admission, since the events occurred more than five years ago, which put it outside of the statute of limitations
.
In explanation, Borelius stated that: "I'm a mother of four and I was running my own company. It never would have worked otherwise". However, during interviews with the media Borelius stated that she "would never have been able to afford all the fees" if she also had paid the taxes. This was soon contradicted by Magnus Ljungkvist, member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party
and press secretary for the Social Democrats in the Stockholm County
administration. According to Ljungkvist's research into Borelius and her husband's income-tax returns, the couple earned 17 million kronor
during the 1990s. Moreover, Borelius inherited a house worth four million kronor from her father in 1996. Ljungkvist, who used public sources, published his findings on his blog, which was then picked up by mainstream media. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
initially stated that while he did not think that Borelius explanation was a good one, he still had faith in her abilities as a minister. "She has assured me that she considers it to be wrong to use 'black' services, and that she does not intend to do so in the future. I have tolerated that as an answer", the Prime Minister said. On November 16, 2006 the prosecutor in the case decided to drop any charges against Borelius relating to the matter of untaxed nannys.
, a private agency tasked with collecting the license fees, filed criminal charges against Borelius and two other ministers of the Reinfeldt Cabinet, Tobias Billström
and Cecilia Stegö Chilò
.
in Southern Sweden. However the property is officially registered to "Full Moon Investments Limited", a company based in the tax haven
of Jersey
. On October 14, 2006 the existence of an apartment in Cannes
, France
with a similar arrangement came to light. The apartment in France is registered to "Soleil Investment Limited".
announced that Maria Borelius had tendered her resignation. She also left her seat in the Swedish parliament
at the same time.
was announced Cecilia Stegö Chilò
voluntarily admitted that she and her husband had previously employed persons to take care of their children without paying the appropriate taxes (Stegö Chilò's announcement coincided with that of Maria Borelius). Stegö Chilò stated: "It's just as well that I say this right away. If you want to remove me because of that, go ahead." Initially Stegö Chilò did not face any criminal or administrative consequences since the events purportedly took place more than five years ago, outside of the statute of limitations
. However on October 15, 2006 Per Winborg, head of the Swedish Transport Workers' Union decided to file a criminal complaint with the Swedish Police Service
against Stegö Chilò since it could not be certain that the statute of limitations had passed. On November 16, 2006 the prosecutor in the case decided to drop any charges against Stegö Chilò relating to the matter of untaxed nannys.
On the same day Carina Hägg
, a Social Democrat
and Member of the Riksdag, announced that she was planning to file a complaint against Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
with the Riksdag Constitutional Committee in order to examine how the Prime Minister recruited his ministers.. This proposed measure was soon seen as an abuse, or even a misperception, of the duties of the Riksdag Constitutional Committee; the Prime Minister is free to appoint anyone he wants for his cabinet and they all entered office at the same time as he did himself, so the allegation of straying from the Constitution in not checking out people's backgrounds in minute detail is very questionable, as was soon pointed out by newspapers, noted professors of political science and others.
from the public service
broadcasters. Her husband registered ownership of a television five days before her appointment as minister. As Minister for Culture Stegö Chilò's responsibilities include oversight of the Swedish public service corporations. Stegö Chilò expressed an ambition to repay what she owed with interest. However, on October 12, 2006 Radiotjänst i Kiruna
, the agency tasked with collecting the licence fees, announced its intentions to file criminal charges against Stegö Chilò, Tobias Billström
and Maria Borelius
, all ministers in the Reinfeldt Cabinet
at the time. Criminal charges were filed on October 13, 2006.
, took over the responsibilities for Stegö Chilò's portfolio.
deliberately had neglected to pay his TV licence for ten years, despite owning a television. Billström stated that his neglect initially was based on his political standpoint against Public Service
, but that he had come to appreciate public service and that he believed that citizens and especially legislators should follow the law. Billström also expressed his ambition to repay his debt with interest. "I chose not to pay, as I didn't think SVT produced good programmes. But you get wiser with the years, and of course I believe that one should follow the laws that have been passed".
However, on October 12, 2006 Radiotjänst i Kiruna
, a private agency tasked with collecting the license fees, announced that it would file criminal charges against Billström together with Cecilia Stegö Chilò
and Maria Borelius
, former ministers in the cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt
. On October 13, 2006 criminal charges were filed. Billström, in contrast to Borelius and Stegö Chilò, has stated that he intends to remain in office and has no intention of resigning.
Tobias Billström has also admitted using the credit card issued to him by the Swedish parliament
for his personal expenses on two occasions. Although he had reimbursed the parliament for these expenses he felt compelled to reveal this because it was wrong in principle. To many in the Swedish public, this admission, though not at all unique, seemed to echo the affair which, about a decade before, had stopped Mona Sahlin
from becoming Chairman of the Social Democrat party and Prime Minister. Sahlin had, among other things, paid for some candy (Toblerone
) with a government credit card, although she paid the money back right away and it was never seen as a criminal act.
admitted to have received 130,000 kronor
too much from the parliamentary
income guarantee. In 1998, when Carlgren was forced to leave the parliament he received compensation despite having other sources of income, which are to be deducted from the parliamentary compensation. Carlgren claims to have rectified the mistake on his own, while others in the Centre Party
claim that the minister was caught taking simultaneous payments from the parliamentary authorities and that the mistake had to be pointed out to him. Carlgren has rejected this claim, stating that he is the only one who received his mail and therefore the only one who could have known. Furthermore Carlgren said that "A lot of people have made this same mistake. In my case it amounted to quite a lot of money and we agreed that I should pay it back."
, Minister for Finance
, admitted that he employed a female worker in his home without paying taxes. The young woman told Expressen
that she worked for the Borg family as a nanny. Borg on the other hand is insistent that she was just a babysitter, and he doesn't believe he broke any laws. Borg has also admitted he had employed several maids without paying taxes between 1997 and 2001. He has also admitted that his family used the services of a young woman from Poland
, and that the girl was an illegal alien without permission to work in Sweden. On November 16, 2006 the prosecutor in the case decided to drop any charges against Borg relating to the matter of untaxed nannys.
, CEO of the public service broadcaster Sveriges Television
, was also involved in the decision to file a police complaint against Maria Borelius, Tobias Billström and Cecilia Stegö Chilò since Jutterström also is chairman of the board of Radiotjänst i Kiruna
. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
commented that he considered it special treatment of persons who are of interest with the media. Lars Lindberg, CEO of Radiotjänst, responded that this case is prejudicial since no one has previously admitted possession of a television retroactively. Eva-Lena Jansson
, a Member of Parliament for the Social Democrats
, reported the issue to the constitutional committee of the Riksdag since she wanted it to be determined if the Prime Minister's comments were to be considered ministerial interference in the affairs of a government agency . Former Minister for Justice
Thomas Bodström
has also stated that he considers the comment inappropriate.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
is a political scandal
Political scandal
A political scandal is a kind of political corruption that is exposed and becomes a scandal, in which politicians or government officials are accused of engaging in various illegal, corrupt, or unethical practices...
which started on October 7, 2006 when the Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt
Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt
The cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt is the current cabinet of Sweden. It is a coalition cabinet consisting of the four parties in the centre-right Alliance for Sweden: the Moderate Party, Centre Party, Liberal People's Party and the Christian Democrats...
, which had been announced on October 6, immediately became affected by media allegations on past errors on the part of several cabinet ministers, in particular Maria Borelius
Maria Borelius
Maria Sigrid Astrid Borelius is a Swedish journalist, entrepreneur and former politician. Following the 2006 Swedish general election she was elected a Member of Parliament for the Moderate Party, and on 6 October 2006 she was presented as Minister for Foreign Trade in Fredrik Reinfeldt's new...
, Cecilia Stegö Chilò
Cecilia Stegö Chilò
Marie Cecilia Stegö Chilò was the Swedish Minister for Culture for ten days, from October 6, 2006 to October 16, 2006. Prior to her appointment as a cabinet member she was Chief executive officer of the Swedish Free Enterprise Foundation , and Director of Timbro, a neoliberal, free-market...
and Tobias Billström
Tobias Billström
Tobias Lennart Billström is a Swedish politician currently serving as Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy in the Swedish government. Billström, a member of the Moderate Party, has been a Member of Parliament since 2002 representing Malmö Municipality...
. The affair centred around the use of domestic worker
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
s (nannies
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
and maid
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
s) without paying employment (payroll) tax, employer's contribution , unpaid TV licences and other issues. On October 14, 2006 Maria Borelius resigned after eight days in office, and on October 16, 2006 Cecilia Stegö Chilò resigned after ten days in office. Criminal charges have been filed against Borelius, Billström and Stegö Chilò. The affair has also been widely reported by the international press, with the British Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
dubbing it "Nannygate".
Background
The affair concerns several key pieces of Swedish law, politics and society:- Domestic help:
- A person who hires someone do work for them is required to report this to the tax authorities and pay a proportion of the wages to the tax authorities (the so-called "employment (payroll) tax, employer's contribution", "Arbetsgivaravgifter" in SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
). For employees born after 1940 this tax amounted to 32.28% of the wages in 2006. The part of the economy where such services are rendered without being reported to the tax authorities has been referred to as the informal economyInformal economyThe informal sector or informal economy as defined by governments, scholars, banks, etc. is the part of an economy that is not taxed, monitored by any form of government, or included in any gross national product , unlike the formal economy....
or underground economyUnderground economyA black market or underground economy is a market in goods or services which operates outside the formal one supported by established state power. Typically the totality of such activity is referred to with the definite article as a complement to the official economies, by market for such goods and...
. - Politically the issue of tax breaks for domestic help has been a divisive one in Swedish politics and society for several years. At present such tax breaks do not exist, and the new coalition had put forward the idea of introducing them.
- A person who hires someone do work for them is required to report this to the tax authorities and pay a proportion of the wages to the tax authorities (the so-called "employment (payroll) tax, employer's contribution", "Arbetsgivaravgifter" in Swedish
- All persons who own a televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
set are required to pay a TV licence , if several people live in a household it is enough to pay a single licence. It is a crime for the owner of a television not to pay the TV licence, and punishable with a fine. Previous convictions indicate that the fine is between 1,000 and 3,000 kronorSwedish kronaThe krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
, and the conviction rate has been approximately 50%. The fee is collected by Radiotjänst i Kiruna ABRadiotjänst i KirunaRadiotjänst i Kiruna AB is Sweden's TV licensing body. It is a private corporation, formed in 1988 and based in Kiruna. The company is a subsidiary of the three Swedish public service broadcasters Sveriges Television, Sveriges Radio and Sveriges Utbildningsradio...
, a private corporationAktiebolagAktiebolag is the Swedish term for "limited company" or "corporation". When used in company names, it is abbreviated "AB" or "Ab"...
owned by the public service corporations through a non-profit foundation. - A Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) who loses their seat after an election is entitled to parliamentary compensation in order to facilitate the transition from office. This compensation is reduced if the MP receives compensation from another source, such as a salary or other income, the parliamentary compensation is reduced by the same amount. In essence the parliamentary compensation acts as an income guarantee during a transition period. - A Swedish MP is issued with a credit card from the Riksdag which is only to be used for expenses associated with official business, such as travel and accommodation.
Nanny
On October 7, 2006, the day after the Cabinet of Fredrik ReinfeldtCabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt
The cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt is the current cabinet of Sweden. It is a coalition cabinet consisting of the four parties in the centre-right Alliance for Sweden: the Moderate Party, Centre Party, Liberal People's Party and the Christian Democrats...
was announced two of the ministers, Maria Borelius
Maria Borelius
Maria Sigrid Astrid Borelius is a Swedish journalist, entrepreneur and former politician. Following the 2006 Swedish general election she was elected a Member of Parliament for the Moderate Party, and on 6 October 2006 she was presented as Minister for Foreign Trade in Fredrik Reinfeldt's new...
and Cecilia Stegö Chilò
Cecilia Stegö Chilò
Marie Cecilia Stegö Chilò was the Swedish Minister for Culture for ten days, from October 6, 2006 to October 16, 2006. Prior to her appointment as a cabinet member she was Chief executive officer of the Swedish Free Enterprise Foundation , and Director of Timbro, a neoliberal, free-market...
, voluntarily admitted that they had previously employed persons to take care of their children (nannies
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
) without paying the employment (payroll) tax, employer's contribution . Borelius did not face any judicial inquiry following her admission, since the events occurred more than five years ago, which put it outside of the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
.
In explanation, Borelius stated that: "I'm a mother of four and I was running my own company. It never would have worked otherwise". However, during interviews with the media Borelius stated that she "would never have been able to afford all the fees" if she also had paid the taxes. This was soon contradicted by Magnus Ljungkvist, member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party
Swedish Social Democratic Party
The Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, , contesting elections as 'the Workers' Party – the Social Democrats' , or sometimes referred to just as 'the Social Democrats' and most commonly as Sossarna ; is the oldest and largest political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1889...
and press secretary for the Social Democrats in the Stockholm County
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...
administration. According to Ljungkvist's research into Borelius and her husband's income-tax returns, the couple earned 17 million kronor
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
during the 1990s. Moreover, Borelius inherited a house worth four million kronor from her father in 1996. Ljungkvist, who used public sources, published his findings on his blog, which was then picked up by mainstream media. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
Fredrik Reinfeldt
John Fredrik Reinfeldt is the Prime Minister of Sweden, leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party and former President of the European Council...
initially stated that while he did not think that Borelius explanation was a good one, he still had faith in her abilities as a minister. "She has assured me that she considers it to be wrong to use 'black' services, and that she does not intend to do so in the future. I have tolerated that as an answer", the Prime Minister said. On November 16, 2006 the prosecutor in the case decided to drop any charges against Borelius relating to the matter of untaxed nannys.
TV licence
On October 11, 2006 it came to light that Borelius had not paid her TV license since her return from the United Kingdom on August 21, 2006 (as resident in the UK, she was of course exempt from TV fees in Sweden even if the couple might be watching TV while staying at the house they kept in Djursholm). On October 12, 2006 Radiotjänst i KirunaRadiotjänst i Kiruna
Radiotjänst i Kiruna AB is Sweden's TV licensing body. It is a private corporation, formed in 1988 and based in Kiruna. The company is a subsidiary of the three Swedish public service broadcasters Sveriges Television, Sveriges Radio and Sveriges Utbildningsradio...
, a private agency tasked with collecting the license fees, filed criminal charges against Borelius and two other ministers of the Reinfeldt Cabinet, Tobias Billström
Tobias Billström
Tobias Lennart Billström is a Swedish politician currently serving as Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy in the Swedish government. Billström, a member of the Moderate Party, has been a Member of Parliament since 2002 representing Malmö Municipality...
and Cecilia Stegö Chilò
Cecilia Stegö Chilò
Marie Cecilia Stegö Chilò was the Swedish Minister for Culture for ten days, from October 6, 2006 to October 16, 2006. Prior to her appointment as a cabinet member she was Chief executive officer of the Swedish Free Enterprise Foundation , and Director of Timbro, a neoliberal, free-market...
.
Other issues
On October 13, 2006 it was revealed that Borelius is also being investigated by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority for financial irregularities concerning the sale of shares in the company Active Biotech where Borelius is a member of the board. Under Swedish law such a transaction must be reported within five days. On the same day it was also revealed that Borelius' husband Greger Larsson owns a vacation home in the resort of FalsterboFalsterbo
Falsterbo is a town located at the south-western tip of Sweden in Vellinge Municipality in Skåne County. Falsterbo is situated in the southern part of the Falsterbo peninsula. It is part of Skanör med Falsterbo, one of Sweden's historical cities.-History:...
in Southern Sweden. However the property is officially registered to "Full Moon Investments Limited", a company based in the tax haven
Tax haven
A tax haven is a state or a country or territory where certain taxes are levied at a low rate or not at all while offering due process, good governance and a low corruption rate....
of Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
. On October 14, 2006 the existence of an apartment in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with a similar arrangement came to light. The apartment in France is registered to "Soleil Investment Limited".
Resignation
In the afternoon of October 14, 2006 Prime Minister Fredrik ReinfeldtFredrik Reinfeldt
John Fredrik Reinfeldt is the Prime Minister of Sweden, leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party and former President of the European Council...
announced that Maria Borelius had tendered her resignation. She also left her seat in the Swedish parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
at the same time.
Nanny
On October 7, 2006, the day after the Cabinet of Fredrik ReinfeldtCabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt
The cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt is the current cabinet of Sweden. It is a coalition cabinet consisting of the four parties in the centre-right Alliance for Sweden: the Moderate Party, Centre Party, Liberal People's Party and the Christian Democrats...
was announced Cecilia Stegö Chilò
Cecilia Stegö Chilò
Marie Cecilia Stegö Chilò was the Swedish Minister for Culture for ten days, from October 6, 2006 to October 16, 2006. Prior to her appointment as a cabinet member she was Chief executive officer of the Swedish Free Enterprise Foundation , and Director of Timbro, a neoliberal, free-market...
voluntarily admitted that she and her husband had previously employed persons to take care of their children without paying the appropriate taxes (Stegö Chilò's announcement coincided with that of Maria Borelius). Stegö Chilò stated: "It's just as well that I say this right away. If you want to remove me because of that, go ahead." Initially Stegö Chilò did not face any criminal or administrative consequences since the events purportedly took place more than five years ago, outside of the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
. However on October 15, 2006 Per Winborg, head of the Swedish Transport Workers' Union decided to file a criminal complaint with the Swedish Police Service
Swedish Police Service
The Swedish Police Service is a collection of Government agencies concerned with police matters in Sweden. The Swedish Police Service consists of 28,500 employees of which 39 per cent are women. The staff consists of 20,000 police officers of which 25 per cent are women and 8,500 civilian staff of...
against Stegö Chilò since it could not be certain that the statute of limitations had passed. On November 16, 2006 the prosecutor in the case decided to drop any charges against Stegö Chilò relating to the matter of untaxed nannys.
On the same day Carina Hägg
Carina Hägg
Carina Hägg is a Swedish social democratic politician. She has been a member of the Riksdag since 1995. She is also a member of the AWEPA Governing Council.-External links:* at the Riksdag website...
, a Social Democrat
Swedish Social Democratic Party
The Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, , contesting elections as 'the Workers' Party – the Social Democrats' , or sometimes referred to just as 'the Social Democrats' and most commonly as Sossarna ; is the oldest and largest political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1889...
and Member of the Riksdag, announced that she was planning to file a complaint against Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
Fredrik Reinfeldt
John Fredrik Reinfeldt is the Prime Minister of Sweden, leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party and former President of the European Council...
with the Riksdag Constitutional Committee in order to examine how the Prime Minister recruited his ministers.. This proposed measure was soon seen as an abuse, or even a misperception, of the duties of the Riksdag Constitutional Committee; the Prime Minister is free to appoint anyone he wants for his cabinet and they all entered office at the same time as he did himself, so the allegation of straying from the Constitution in not checking out people's backgrounds in minute detail is very questionable, as was soon pointed out by newspapers, noted professors of political science and others.
TV licence
On October 11, 2006 it came to light that Stegö Chilò and her husband had not paid their TV licence for the last 16 years, withholding more than 16,000 kronorSwedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
from the public service
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
broadcasters. Her husband registered ownership of a television five days before her appointment as minister. As Minister for Culture Stegö Chilò's responsibilities include oversight of the Swedish public service corporations. Stegö Chilò expressed an ambition to repay what she owed with interest. However, on October 12, 2006 Radiotjänst i Kiruna
Radiotjänst i Kiruna
Radiotjänst i Kiruna AB is Sweden's TV licensing body. It is a private corporation, formed in 1988 and based in Kiruna. The company is a subsidiary of the three Swedish public service broadcasters Sveriges Television, Sveriges Radio and Sveriges Utbildningsradio...
, the agency tasked with collecting the licence fees, announced its intentions to file criminal charges against Stegö Chilò, Tobias Billström
Tobias Billström
Tobias Lennart Billström is a Swedish politician currently serving as Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy in the Swedish government. Billström, a member of the Moderate Party, has been a Member of Parliament since 2002 representing Malmö Municipality...
and Maria Borelius
Maria Borelius
Maria Sigrid Astrid Borelius is a Swedish journalist, entrepreneur and former politician. Following the 2006 Swedish general election she was elected a Member of Parliament for the Moderate Party, and on 6 October 2006 she was presented as Minister for Foreign Trade in Fredrik Reinfeldt's new...
, all ministers in the Reinfeldt Cabinet
Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt
The cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt is the current cabinet of Sweden. It is a coalition cabinet consisting of the four parties in the centre-right Alliance for Sweden: the Moderate Party, Centre Party, Liberal People's Party and the Christian Democrats...
at the time. Criminal charges were filed on October 13, 2006.
Resignation
On October 16, 2006 Stegö Chilò tendered her resignation to Prime Minister Reinfeldt. Lars Leijonborg, Minister for Education and Research in the Cabinet of Fredrik ReinfeldtCabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt
The cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt is the current cabinet of Sweden. It is a coalition cabinet consisting of the four parties in the centre-right Alliance for Sweden: the Moderate Party, Centre Party, Liberal People's Party and the Christian Democrats...
, took over the responsibilities for Stegö Chilò's portfolio.
Tobias Billström
On October 11, 2006, less than a week after he took office, it was revealed that Tobias BillströmTobias Billström
Tobias Lennart Billström is a Swedish politician currently serving as Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy in the Swedish government. Billström, a member of the Moderate Party, has been a Member of Parliament since 2002 representing Malmö Municipality...
deliberately had neglected to pay his TV licence for ten years, despite owning a television. Billström stated that his neglect initially was based on his political standpoint against Public Service
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
, but that he had come to appreciate public service and that he believed that citizens and especially legislators should follow the law. Billström also expressed his ambition to repay his debt with interest. "I chose not to pay, as I didn't think SVT produced good programmes. But you get wiser with the years, and of course I believe that one should follow the laws that have been passed".
However, on October 12, 2006 Radiotjänst i Kiruna
Radiotjänst i Kiruna
Radiotjänst i Kiruna AB is Sweden's TV licensing body. It is a private corporation, formed in 1988 and based in Kiruna. The company is a subsidiary of the three Swedish public service broadcasters Sveriges Television, Sveriges Radio and Sveriges Utbildningsradio...
, a private agency tasked with collecting the license fees, announced that it would file criminal charges against Billström together with Cecilia Stegö Chilò
Cecilia Stegö Chilò
Marie Cecilia Stegö Chilò was the Swedish Minister for Culture for ten days, from October 6, 2006 to October 16, 2006. Prior to her appointment as a cabinet member she was Chief executive officer of the Swedish Free Enterprise Foundation , and Director of Timbro, a neoliberal, free-market...
and Maria Borelius
Maria Borelius
Maria Sigrid Astrid Borelius is a Swedish journalist, entrepreneur and former politician. Following the 2006 Swedish general election she was elected a Member of Parliament for the Moderate Party, and on 6 October 2006 she was presented as Minister for Foreign Trade in Fredrik Reinfeldt's new...
, former ministers in the cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt
Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt
The cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt is the current cabinet of Sweden. It is a coalition cabinet consisting of the four parties in the centre-right Alliance for Sweden: the Moderate Party, Centre Party, Liberal People's Party and the Christian Democrats...
. On October 13, 2006 criminal charges were filed. Billström, in contrast to Borelius and Stegö Chilò, has stated that he intends to remain in office and has no intention of resigning.
Tobias Billström has also admitted using the credit card issued to him by the Swedish parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
for his personal expenses on two occasions. Although he had reimbursed the parliament for these expenses he felt compelled to reveal this because it was wrong in principle. To many in the Swedish public, this admission, though not at all unique, seemed to echo the affair which, about a decade before, had stopped Mona Sahlin
Mona Sahlin
Mona Ingeborg Sahlin is a Swedish politician and the former leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party.Sahlin has been a Member of Parliament, representing Stockholm County, from 1982 to 1996 and again since 2002. She has also held various ministerial posts in the Swedish government from 1990...
from becoming Chairman of the Social Democrat party and Prime Minister. Sahlin had, among other things, paid for some candy (Toblerone
Toblerone
Toblerone is a chocolate bar brand owned by Kraft Foods, who acquired the product from former owner Jacobs Suchard in 1990. It is well-known for its distinctive packaging, its prism shape and its ubiquity in duty-free shops.The triangular shape of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps is commonly...
) with a government credit card, although she paid the money back right away and it was never seen as a criminal act.
Andreas Carlgren
On October 12, 2006 Minister for Sustainable Development Andreas CarlgrenAndreas Carlgren
Hemming Andreas Carlgren is a Swedish Centre Party politician, and a former Minister for the Environment in the Swedish government.- Education and career :...
admitted to have received 130,000 kronor
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
too much from the parliamentary
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
income guarantee. In 1998, when Carlgren was forced to leave the parliament he received compensation despite having other sources of income, which are to be deducted from the parliamentary compensation. Carlgren claims to have rectified the mistake on his own, while others in the Centre Party
Centre Party (Sweden)
The Centre Party is a centrist political party in Sweden. The party maintains close ties to rural Sweden and describes itself as "a green social liberal party". The ideology is sometimes called agrarian, but in a European context, the Centre Party can perhaps best be characterized as social...
claim that the minister was caught taking simultaneous payments from the parliamentary authorities and that the mistake had to be pointed out to him. Carlgren has rejected this claim, stating that he is the only one who received his mail and therefore the only one who could have known. Furthermore Carlgren said that "A lot of people have made this same mistake. In my case it amounted to quite a lot of money and we agreed that I should pay it back."
Anders Borg
On October 17, 2006 Anders BorgAnders Borg
Anders Erik Borg is a Swedish economist and politician, currently serving as Minister for Finance in the Swedish government. He is a member of the Moderate Party.- Youth and education :...
, Minister for Finance
Minister for Finance (Sweden)
The Minister for Finance of Sweden, officially Cabinet Minister and Head of the Ministry of Finance , is a member of the Swedish cabinet and head of the Ministry of Finance. It is often considered the most powerful office in Swedish politics after the Prime Minister.- List of officeholders :...
, admitted that he employed a female worker in his home without paying taxes. The young woman told Expressen
Expressen
Expressen is one of two nationwide evening tabloid newspapers in Sweden, the other being Aftonbladet. Expressen was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and slogans "it stings" or "Expressen to your rescue", always on the reader's side....
that she worked for the Borg family as a nanny. Borg on the other hand is insistent that she was just a babysitter, and he doesn't believe he broke any laws. Borg has also admitted he had employed several maids without paying taxes between 1997 and 2001. He has also admitted that his family used the services of a young woman from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and that the girl was an illegal alien without permission to work in Sweden. On November 16, 2006 the prosecutor in the case decided to drop any charges against Borg relating to the matter of untaxed nannys.
Radiotjänst police complaint
On October 19, 2006 it was revealed that Christina JutterströmChristina Jutterström
Christina Jutterström is a Swedish journalist, former chief editor for Dagens Nyheter between 1982 and 1995 and for Expressen between 1995 and 1996. In 2001 Jutterström was appointed the CEO post at public broadcaster Sveriges Television and was successed by Eva Hamilton on November 5, 2006....
, CEO of the public service broadcaster Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
, was also involved in the decision to file a police complaint against Maria Borelius, Tobias Billström and Cecilia Stegö Chilò since Jutterström also is chairman of the board of Radiotjänst i Kiruna
Radiotjänst i Kiruna
Radiotjänst i Kiruna AB is Sweden's TV licensing body. It is a private corporation, formed in 1988 and based in Kiruna. The company is a subsidiary of the three Swedish public service broadcasters Sveriges Television, Sveriges Radio and Sveriges Utbildningsradio...
. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
Fredrik Reinfeldt
John Fredrik Reinfeldt is the Prime Minister of Sweden, leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party and former President of the European Council...
commented that he considered it special treatment of persons who are of interest with the media. Lars Lindberg, CEO of Radiotjänst, responded that this case is prejudicial since no one has previously admitted possession of a television retroactively. Eva-Lena Jansson
Eva-Lena Jansson
Eva-Lena Jansson is a Swedish social democratic politician. She has been a member of the Riksdag since 2006.-External links:* at the Riksdag website...
, a Member of Parliament for the Social Democrats
Swedish Social Democratic Party
The Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, , contesting elections as 'the Workers' Party – the Social Democrats' , or sometimes referred to just as 'the Social Democrats' and most commonly as Sossarna ; is the oldest and largest political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1889...
, reported the issue to the constitutional committee of the Riksdag since she wanted it to be determined if the Prime Minister's comments were to be considered ministerial interference in the affairs of a government agency . Former Minister for Justice
Minister for Justice (Sweden)
The Minister for Justice is the justice minister of Sweden and head of the Ministry of Justice. The current Minister for Justice is Beatrice Ask of the Moderate Party....
Thomas Bodström
Thomas Bodström
Thomas Lennart Bodström is a Swedish politician and member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He was the Swedish Minister for Justice in the two last succeeding governments of the Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, from 2000 to 2006. Since October 2006 until October 2010 he was the chairman...
has also stated that he considers the comment inappropriate.
Timeline
- October 6, 2006 - The new cabinet is announced. Maria BoreliusMaria BoreliusMaria Sigrid Astrid Borelius is a Swedish journalist, entrepreneur and former politician. Following the 2006 Swedish general election she was elected a Member of Parliament for the Moderate Party, and on 6 October 2006 she was presented as Minister for Foreign Trade in Fredrik Reinfeldt's new...
and Cecilia Stegö ChilòCecilia Stegö ChilòMarie Cecilia Stegö Chilò was the Swedish Minister for Culture for ten days, from October 6, 2006 to October 16, 2006. Prior to her appointment as a cabinet member she was Chief executive officer of the Swedish Free Enterprise Foundation , and Director of Timbro, a neoliberal, free-market...
voluntarily disclose the fact that they have used domestic workerDomestic workerA domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
s without paying employment (payroll) tax, employer's contribution . - October 11, 2006 - It is revealed that Borelius, Stegö Chilò and Tobias BillströmTobias BillströmTobias Lennart Billström is a Swedish politician currently serving as Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy in the Swedish government. Billström, a member of the Moderate Party, has been a Member of Parliament since 2002 representing Malmö Municipality...
had not paid their TV licences for the last 2 months, 16 years and 10 years respectively. It is also revealed that Carl Bildt has a financial interest in Russian oil and gas. - October 12, 2006 - Andreas CarlgrenAndreas CarlgrenHemming Andreas Carlgren is a Swedish Centre Party politician, and a former Minister for the Environment in the Swedish government.- Education and career :...
admits to have received 130,000 kronorSwedish kronaThe krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
too much from the parliamentary income guarantee. - October 13, 2006 - Radiotjänst i KirunaRadiotjänst i KirunaRadiotjänst i Kiruna AB is Sweden's TV licensing body. It is a private corporation, formed in 1988 and based in Kiruna. The company is a subsidiary of the three Swedish public service broadcasters Sveriges Television, Sveriges Radio and Sveriges Utbildningsradio...
, the company with responsibility for the TV licence, files a criminal complaint against Billström, Borelius and Stegö Chilò with the Swedish Police ServiceSwedish Police ServiceThe Swedish Police Service is a collection of Government agencies concerned with police matters in Sweden. The Swedish Police Service consists of 28,500 employees of which 39 per cent are women. The staff consists of 20,000 police officers of which 25 per cent are women and 8,500 civilian staff of...
. Announcement that Borelius is under investigation by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority for financial irregularities. Revelations regarding Borelius' husband's ownership of property. - October 14, 2006 - Further revelations regarding Borelius' husband's property ownership, Maria Borelius announces her resignation.
- October 16, 2006 - Per Winborg, head of the Swedish Transport Workers' Union , files a complaint with the Swedish Police Service against Stegö Chilò for failure to pay employment tax, employer's contribution. Carina HäggCarina HäggCarina Hägg is a Swedish social democratic politician. She has been a member of the Riksdag since 1995. She is also a member of the AWEPA Governing Council.-External links:* at the Riksdag website...
, a Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Social DemocratsSwedish Social Democratic PartyThe Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, , contesting elections as 'the Workers' Party – the Social Democrats' , or sometimes referred to just as 'the Social Democrats' and most commonly as Sossarna ; is the oldest and largest political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1889...
, files a complaint with the Riksdag Constitutional Committee regarding PMPrime Minister of SwedenThe Prime Minister is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested...
Reinfeldt's methods of recruiting ministers. Cecilia Stegö Chilò announces her resignation. - October 17, 2006 - Tobias Billström announces that he intends to remain in office and has no intention of resigning.
- October 19, 2006 - Eva-Lena JanssonEva-Lena JanssonEva-Lena Jansson is a Swedish social democratic politician. She has been a member of the Riksdag since 2006.-External links:* at the Riksdag website...
, a Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Social DemocratsSwedish Social Democratic PartyThe Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, , contesting elections as 'the Workers' Party – the Social Democrats' , or sometimes referred to just as 'the Social Democrats' and most commonly as Sossarna ; is the oldest and largest political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1889...
, files a complaint with the Riksdag Constitutional Committee regarding PMPrime Minister of SwedenThe Prime Minister is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested...
Reinfeldt's comments on Radiotjänst i Kiruna ABRadiotjänst i KirunaRadiotjänst i Kiruna AB is Sweden's TV licensing body. It is a private corporation, formed in 1988 and based in Kiruna. The company is a subsidiary of the three Swedish public service broadcasters Sveriges Television, Sveriges Radio and Sveriges Utbildningsradio...
's police complaint. - October 20, 2006 - Ulf HolmUlf HolmUlf Holm, born June 4, 1969 in Lund, is a Swedish Green Party politician, member of the Riksdag since 2002. He was a member of the European Parliament during 1995-1999. He is openly gay.-References:...
, a Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Green PartyGreen Party (Sweden)-External links:**...
, files a complaint with the Riksdag Constitutional Committee regarding Bildt's private economic interests. - November 16, 2006 - Chief Prosecutor Kent Madstedt decides not to initiate an investigation against Maria Borelius, Cecilia Stegö Chilò and Anders Borg as regards domestic help and unpaid taxes, citing among other factors a lack of evidence and that none of the alleged employees have come forward and admitted participation.
See also
- American politicians:
- Robert BorkRobert BorkRobert Heron Bork is an American legal scholar who has advocated the judicial philosophy of originalism. Bork formerly served as Solicitor General, Acting Attorney General, and judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit...
(gave rise to the verb "to Bork") - NannygateNannygateNannygate was a 1993 political controversy in the United States wherein the nomination of Zoë Baird, and near-nomination of Kimba Wood, for U.S. Attorney General were withdrawn due to the hiring of illegal aliens as nannies or the failure to pay taxes for them...
matter of 1993- Zoë BairdZoë BairdZoë Eliot Baird is an American lawyer who is president of the Markle Foundation. She is most known for her role in the Nannygate matter of 1993.-Biography:...
- Kimba WoodKimba WoodKimba Maureen Wood is a United States federal judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.-Early life and education:...
- Zoë Baird
- Linda ChavezLinda ChavezLinda Chavez is an American author, commentator, and radio talk show host. She is also a Fox News analyst, Chairman of the Center for Equal Opportunity, has a syndicated column that appears in newspapers nationwide each week, and sits on the Board of Directors of two Fortune 1000 companies:...
- Bernard KerikBernard KerikBernard Bailey "Bernie" Kerik is a former New York City Police Commissioner, Secretary of Homeland Security nominee, and now a federal felon. Kerik was New York City Police Commissioner from 2000 to 2001, under Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In December 2004, President George W. Bush nominated Kerik as...
- Harriet Myers
- Robert Bork
- VettingVettingVetting is a process of examination and evaluation, generally referring to performing a background check on someone before offering him or her employment, conferring an award, etc...