Former SD Politician Defrauded Nearly Half a Million – Court Removes Him from Duties

Samnytt was able to report in the autumn of 2025 that the then SD politician Håkan Malmström was charged with aggravated fraud after having received compensation totaling nearly 430,000 kronor to which he was not entitled. Since then, he has left the Sweden Democrats but is now a top candidate for Medborgerlig Samling in the 2026 election. He has now been sentenced by the Västmanland District Court.

According to the indictment, which has now led to a conviction, Malmström applied for compensation from Västerås city and Region Västmanland on around 180 occasions, despite not having the loss of income he claimed. The total amount comes to just over 430,000 kronor.

The district court thus sides with the prosecutor and finds Malmström guilty of two counts of aggravated fraud. The penalty is a suspended sentence and community service. He must also repay the wrongly received funds, plus interest, to Västerås city and Region Västmanland.

The district court also decides to remove him from his political posts of trust.

Left SD – now top candidate for Medborgerlig Samling

When the indictment was brought in the autumn of 2025, Malmström was an active politician for the Sweden Democrats, but has since left the party.

Despite the newly announced verdict, he is one of MED’s leading candidates ahead of the election. He is the party’s top candidate for the Västerås municipal council and second on the list for the regional council in Västmanland.

MED’s district leadership in Västmanland has previously publicly expressed its support for Malmström and declared that it has “full and unwavering confidence” in him.

It remains to be seen if the conviction will affect Malmström’s candidacy or Medborgerlig Samling’s position. According to his lawyer, Malmström is considering appealing the verdict.

Throughout the process, he has denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the compensation he received was justified.