Stockholm, Sweden — Sweden’s opposition has reported the migration minister to parliament’s constitutional committee, sparking a probe into a Sweden Somalia deportation deal that critics have labeled “pure bribery.”
The controversy follows a report by the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper revealing that the government paid five million kronor (about 450,000 USD) to Somalia. The payment was reportedly made to encourage the African nation to accept more deported asylum seekers from Sweden.
Migration Minister Johan Forssell has been referred to the parliament’s constitutional committee (Konstitutionsutskottet, or KU) over the matter. The minister defended the repatriation arrangement, stating it was essential for removing “dangerous criminals.”
Sweden is home to nearly 70,000 people of Somali origin, according to Statistics Sweden. Somalia’s security situation and its ranking by groups like Transparency International as one of the world’s most corrupt countries complicate the Sweden–Somalia deportation deal.
‘Pure bribery’
The opposition Social Democratic Party, which filed the committee report, fiercely condemned the payment.
“This is pure bribery,” Morgan Johansson, the party’s foreign policy spokesperson, told Sweden’s public radio Ekot. “It’s a completely corrupt agreement.”
Johansson, a former justice and migration minister, added that the deal was “way outside the boundaries of what a government should be doing.”
Dagens Nyheter alleged that the Swedish funds financed three jobs for individuals close to Somalia’s prime minister. The newspaper also reported that family members of the prime minister were hand-picked for the positions.
Minister Forssell rejected the accusations, insisting the money was not “aid money” and that the government acted with full transparency. He said the funds were part of a collaboration with a United Nations body, not a direct payment to the Somali government.
“We have an agreement with a UN body, the International Organization for Migration (IOM). IOM then has an agreement with Somalia,” Forssell told the TT news agency.
Forssell, who served as Sweden’s aid minister when the agreement was made, said the Sweden Somalia deportation deal was necessary.
“This is a very important collaboration in order for us to be able to deport dangerous criminals from Sweden,” he said. “They don’t want to go home, and that means you need to find collaborations to, for example, confirm their identity.”
Asked about the corruption allegations, Forssell said he trusted the IOM’s handling of the funds.
“If we were to receive information that suggested there were irregularities, then we would, of course, act on that,” he stated. “But until now we haven’t had any such information.”
Somalia rejects claims
The Somali prime minister’s office issued a strong denial of the reports.
In a statement earlier this month, the office said Somalia “firmly rejected” allegations of a “secret deal” involving conditional development aid.
“These claims are false, misleading, and unfounded,” the statement read. The office added that all bilateral cooperation is “long-standing, transparent, and grounded in mutual respect.”
In Sweden, a report to the constitutional committee, or “KU-anmälan,” is a common political tool used by the opposition to scrutinize a minister’s actions.
While the committee can theoretically bring legal charges, this has not happened since the 19th century. The process typically results in either a formal criticism of the minister or, in rare cases, a vote of no confidence.
Forssell contrasted his government’s actions with those of the previous administration.
“The Social Democrats didn’t lift a finger to deport dangerous people who committed crimes in Sweden,” he said. “That’s over now.”