A police source has in detail told Samnytt about the surveillance operation that the authorities carried out against the Left Party’s newly elected Member of Parliament, Mohamed Abdukardir Ali. According to the information, there are surveillance photos where the newly elected MP is seen at an ATM in connection with handing out money and ballots to women with immigrant backgrounds. Despite the material and the suspicions that arose during the lengthy operation around early voting, the Prosecutor’s Office chose to close the investigation – a decision that, according to reports, caused irritation within the police. After the newly minted Swedish citizen bypassed a top Left Party candidate and took a seat in parliament, the investigation has now been reopened.

The turmoil continues over the election results in Dalarna, where the previously unknown Left Party member Mohamed Abdukardir Ali, 30, conducted a high-profile personal campaign and quickly came into media focus both locally and nationally.

Initially, Matts Hammqvist, group leader for the Left Party Borlänge, could not even say who the Somali man appearing on the party’s ballots is or how he managed to get hundreds more personal votes than the top candidate, Kajsa Fredholm, the Left Party’s spokesperson on climate policy, thereby surpassing her in the race for a parliamentary seat.

– I honestly have no real idea who he is, group leader Matts Hammqvist previously told Expressen.

SEE ALSO: Unknown unemployed Mohamed ousts Left Party top – was denied citizenship due to large debts

Even Mohamed Abdukardir Ali himself claimed to be surprised by the election success and had no particular explanation for how he managed to gain such a large impact in the personal vote count.

Additionally, the Somali man was denied Swedish citizenship in August 2024 on the grounds that the requirement for a good character was not met.

The background was extensive debts that he was unable to pay. But in February this year – just months before the parliamentary election – he was finally granted Swedish citizenship after being approved for a debt restructuring.

Police Investigation Into Vote Rigging

This week it also came to light that police had been conducting an investigation into suspected vote rigging in Borlänge. This came after the authority received a report about circumstances that raised suspicions.

Through a police source, Samnytt can share more details about the investigation launched in conjunction with early voting. According to the information, the surveillance included Mohamed Abdukardir Ali and people in his circle. Reports indicated that voters were transported to early voting stations and also received pre-checked ballots.

The Left Party member and other people connected to him were reportedly followed by police near the Kupolen shopping center and in Tjärna Ängar, an area with a large population of Somali origin that in some circles has been called “Little Mogadishu.”

According to the information, Left Party parliamentary candidate Mohamed Abdukardir Ali appears in police surveillance photos at an ATM together with a group of people, mostly Somali women.

– In the surveillance photos, about 70 percent are Somali women standing in line outside the ATM at Kupolen in Borlänge.

“Mohamed Seen at the ATM”

The police source further notes that it is the now-elected Left Party MP standing at the ATM and that both money and ballots are handed out there.

– Money is withdrawn from the ATM. He walks a short distance where a queue of Somali women is waiting. Mohamed is seen handing what police suspect are money and ballots to the women, who then head towards the early voting in Kupolen.

When asked if the Left Party member is seen at the ATM, the source said yes and even mentioned a sum in connection to the handing out of cash.

– Mohamed is seen at the ATM making withdrawals. Then the Somali women go to the polling place in Kupolen and vote.

By a queue of Somali women, the police source means it involved between five and ten people. It’s further stated that the queue was replenished.

– Mohamed goes back to the ATM and repeats the procedure. It is suspected Mohamed uses different bank cards and therefore it was important to map the withdrawals.

The source believes this was not an isolated incident. The police are said to have surveilled the Left Party member over several days during the election campaign. However, they reportedly received no acknowledgment from the Prosecutor’s Office.

SEE ALSO: Clan voting? The Left Party’s unknown parliamentary Somali under investigation for vote rigging

The source also mentions another person in Tjärna Ängar handing out ballots on behalf of Mohamed Abdukardir Ali.

– Everything feels organized. Except for the prosecutor, the source remarks sarcastically.

Police: The Prosecutor Had Everything Served

On September 1, the Prosecutor’s Chamber in Falun was informed of the suspicions against the Left Party candidate for parliament, and the case was handed to the National Anti-Corruption Unit. However, no further investigation was initiated.

– Nothing was done because Mohamed was not considered a suspect. This happened during early voting. It’s a damn scandal.

Oskar Edvardsson, prosecutor at the National Anti-Corruption Unit, decided to close the preliminary investigation due to lack of evidence. Police do not share this view.

The police source elaborates that police already believed, before contacting the Prosecutor’s Office, that they had sufficient grounds for suspicion.

– Before the preliminary investigation was officially opened on the first of September, police had grounds to start. Then they surveilled Mohamed. Saw how he went to Kupolen, went to the ATM, withdrew bills, handed them to Somali women in a line, and the women went towards the polling place, the source tells Samnytt, continuing:

– Prosecutor Oskar Edvardsson had everything served. But he didn’t even consider Mohamed reasonably suspected. They could have obtained bank records, checked security cameras, ATM records, but nothing was done because Mohamed was not considered a suspect even though this concerns a political candidate right before the election.

The police are also said to have noted more people in the Left Party member’s circle moving around Tjärna Ängar. According to the source, one was stopped and checked by police. During the check, this person reportedly had hundreds of ballots with the candidate’s name pre-checked.

– Two were arrested in Borlänge with ballots. But neither was Mohamed. They were arrested in connection with surveillance of Mohamed. Mohamed was seen handing out ballots to a person. The person was stopped and found to have hundreds of pre-checked ballots.

– What more is needed to reasonably suspect Mohamed? Edvardsson is a joke, the police source says about the prosecutor responsible for the investigation.

Investigation Reopened

The closed investigation has now suddenly been reopened by prosecutor Oskar Edvardsson. This after media attention that the unknown Mohamed Abdukardir Ali, who was the subject of the police surveillance, surpassed Left Party top Kajsa Fredholm in the personal vote, with a total of 648 personal votes to her 356.

The prosecutor who previously decided to close the case is now also responsible for the continued investigation. According to Edvardsson, the case has been reopened after new information has surfaced. However, he does not wish to comment on what this information consists of.

– Improper influence during voting is the actual crime, prosecutor Oskar Edvardsson tells Expressen.

Despite the information that has emerged, no one is currently detained or formally suspected of a crime. On Monday, the newly elected Left Party MP for Dalarna, Mohamed Abdukardir Ali, was meanwhile seen in Stockholm.

The Defense: “I Know the Law”

In recent days, Mohamed Abdukardir Ali has responded to the information circulating in the media regarding vote rigging, saying he is shocked to have become the focus of attention in this context.

The Somali man has also stated that he finds it difficult to understand how his personal campaign could gain such momentum. However, he refuses to recognize any alleged irregularities linked to the election.

– This is completely, completely, wrong. I did not do this. I know the law. I have earned trust in every district in Dalarna. And it is not something I could do – such a serious crime – against Swedish law, Mohamed Abdukadir Ali told SVT.

Lived with a Gang Criminal

Expressen reported on Monday that during two periods, 2016-2018 and 2019-2020, the Left Party member was officially registered at the home of a gang criminal who, according to police, was then involved in a local criminal network in Märsta – the same locality where they both lived.

This man is said to have been convicted of serious money laundering and aggravated assault. In May 2025, he was released after serving a prison sentence for attempted murder.

During the period when Mohamed Abdukardir Ali shared a residence with this man, the man was involved in several crimes and convicted for them, Expressen also reports.

On at least one occasion, police conducted a house search at the shared apartment. In the home and an associated storage area, they found resealable redline bags and scales, items often used in the handling and sale of drugs.

Police also seized several bags of portion-packed cannabis, as well as notepads, a “cocaine-stained spoon,” and small amounts of hash and cocaine.

SEE ALSO: Read the decisions on the Left Party Somali candidate’s denied citizenship