Inside the $517,000 Scandal: Sweden’s Secret Payment to Somalia and the Fallout in Stockholm

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The government of Sweden has been accused of paying the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) close to $517,000 to accept deportations targeting Somalis in the country, with the opposition parties now demanding accountability.

The Swedish opposition now wants Migration Minister Johan Forssell to be probed for potential criminal activities, arguing that he facilitated payments of five million Kronor ($517,000) to enhance deportations to the country.

Preliminary investigations show that the payments were made in April, with Forssell signing, and the transfer was carried out through the United Nations Migration Agency, IOM, to the Somali government, according to Dagens Nyheter.

The funds were meant to help Somalia accept 28 citizens previously denied entry after deportation orders from Sweden. The claim could further put the federal government of Somalia in serious defence for corruption.

The Swedish daily reported that the payment financed three government posts within the Somali Prime Minister’s Office, each paying over 100,000 kronor per month, allegedly filled by relatives of people in Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre’s inner circle.

DN said the government’s initial case file on the decision was empty; when documentation was later released, IOM’s project records were heavily redacted, citing foreign affairs confidentiality.

However, Forssell has denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the payments were part of a “migration policy cooperation,” not aid. “This is about ensuring that countries take back people who have committed serious crimes, including violent and sexual offenses, in Sweden,” he said, insisting there was “no evidence” of corruption.

For many years, Somalia has been ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The Swedish embassy in Nairobi had warned the foreign department against such payments, terming it "completely insane".

The Social Democrats and the Left Party have filed complaints to parliament’s Constitutional Committee (KU), while the Green Party called for Forssell’s resignation, the DN reports.
“This is outright bribe money to an Islamist government,” said Social Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Morgan Johansson.

Somalia is also facing allegations of embezzlement of funds meant for payments of Danab Special Forces, with the United States significantly cutting funding over accountability issues. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has often defended his government against any wrongdoing.

GAROWE ONLINE