Nearly 400 elected officials have personal debts registered with the Swedish Enforcement Authority. This is according to an investigation by TV4’s “Kalla fakta,” which reviewed the records of 21,854 politicians at the municipal, regional, and national levels. Of those, 387 had active debts. Forty-three had debts exceeding one million kronor, and just under half owed more than 98,000 kronor. The average debt was around 364,000 kronor, as a few large debts drove up the average.
Proportionally, the highest number of people in debt are found among the Sweden Democrats and the Left Party. In terms of the size of the debts, the Center Party stands out as having the highest personal debt per elected official.
Among municipal council members, 36 regular members had outstanding debts. One of them is a member of the Center Party Petri Salonen in Haninge, who has a debt of 2.7 million kronor caused by overspending. He says he has been open about everything, sought professional help, and that his salary is now garnished every month by the Enforcement Authority.
In the Riksdag, the Left Party member Mohamed Ali the only member with debts registered with the Swedish Enforcement Authority. The review shows that politicians with debts can be found at all levels, from local councils to the Riksdag.
As for the debts of Center Party members, could they involve the purchase of sexual services from minors?
So Kryssraketen isn't the only one with unpaid debts.