In May last year, the then Migration Minister Maria Malmer bought Stenergard shares for almost SEK 10,000 in the Swedish company Mildef, according to Ekot’s review. Then it was known that Sweden and Denmark intended to buy new combat vehicles 90 for SEK 25 billion, and that the company’s IT equipment will be included in the record order.
Continued review from Sweden’s Radio Ekot Shows that the minister, one month after her share purchase, participated in the government’s decision to give the defense power to buy combat vehicles.
The Minister: followed the regulations
Several experts that Ekot has spoken to believe that she should not have done so. According to the Government Offices’ own guidelines, ministers should not participate in government decisions where companies in which they own shares are a party.
But Maria Malmer Stenergard does not think she has done anything wrong. She believes that she has followed all the regulations, that she did not know that the decision would affect her shareholding and that she did not participate in the preparation.
– For me, it has been central to follow the regulations regarding disputes, which means that I cannot participate in and make a government decision that concerns a company in which I have stock interests, and I have not done that either, says Malmer Stenergard.