People in Sweden who are charged with crimes often have terrible luck with their finances:
“I just became unemployed. I mean sick leave. Soon, uh, I’ll be on parental leave. My shares have fallen like stones. And the house was damaged by the storm… Ragnvald.”
That’s roughly how it sounds when defendants have to account for their finances during a trial. Alas, all my money is gone!
Does it matter if they are lies? Yes, big role. If the defendant is sentenced to a fine, the amount of the daily fine will depend on the relevant financial situation. The same applies in many cases to legal fees.
This kind of lamentation is heard “too often” in our courts, write Jan Leopoldson and Jonas Myrdal, chamber prosecutors at the Ecocrime Authority, on DN Debatt.
You don’t have to be Hercule Poirot to guess why. Convicts who lie about their income usually get a lower sentence. And it is completely risk-free – in Sweden it is not a crime to lie in this way. And some documents to substantiate the story of financial ruin need not be shown.
It’s offensive and idiotic – two qualities you’d rather not associate with the justice system.
Admittedly, the police have collected data on the suspect’s finances during the preliminary investigation. But when it comes to trial, they are often old and out of date.
And the court, as a rule, does not check the defendant’s new information. The state relies on Ruskprick’s and Knorrhane’s word of honour. But this is not the Salt Crow.
This is offensive and idiotic – two qualities that one would rather not associate with the judiciary.
Action must be taken.
√ It must become a crime to lie about one’s personal finances in order to receive a lighter sentence.
Learn from Finland. There, since 1997, it has been a crime to lie about income in order to get a lower fine. It’s called fine cheating, and whoever is convicted risks further fines or imprisonment for up to three months.
√ The court should start from the latest taxed income when deciding on the size of the daily fine. If the defendant claims that his finances have just changed in a decisive way, it must be able to be substantiated.
√ The judiciary must also be able to quickly obtain current information about the defendant’s finances from various authorities. The chamber prosecutors mention the Tax Agency, the banks, the employer, the Swedish Companies Registration Office, the Social Insurance Agency and the Land Registry.
It simply shouldn’t be that easy to lie to get a lower sentence.
Society is also threatened by serious organized crime. Every penny that can be taken from gangs and mafias counts.
If Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer ponders how sensible laws can be designed – why not turn to the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb? He is visiting Sweden these days.
READ MORE: Stop the cheating that gives criminals too low sentences
READ MORE: In Finland, people are not as naive as in Sweden
