Suspected Election Fraud Scandal Grows: Criminal Clan Somali Implicated and Municipal Official Lent Out Car

A well-known criminal Somali in Borlänge has been named as one of the main figures in the ongoing investigation into suspected election fraud, where two Left Party politicians allegedly voted themselves into the parliament and municipal council. According to information from the police, the now identified criminal man, together with another person, is said to have gathered eligible voters, driven them to polling stations, and supplied them with ballot papers where candidates were already pre-marked. The car the men traveled in is reportedly registered to an official within Borlänge municipality.

On Wednesday, it emerged that the investigation regarding the suspected election fraud in Dalarna has expanded to include a third person. Earlier in the week, Samnytt, citing a police source, was able to report that the police, in addition to the politicians, had also detained two persons of interest who distributed ballot papers.

Now Expressen reports that the police’s surveillance during the election campaign focused on a red Toyota Corolla in Borlänge that was used in connection to the transports. The car is registered to a municipal official in Borlänge, who states that it was lent to a relative and also to other people.

At the same time, the investigation is still at an early stage because the first investigation was dropped by prosecutor Oskar Edvardsson due to “lack of evidence” – something the police disagreed with and strongly questioned. No person has been notified of suspicion of a crime, but according to information, three people are currently of interest to the prosecutor.

The story began during advance voting in September, when an anonymous report was filed with the authorities. In the report, two people were pointed out and it was claimed that they were driving voters from different residential areas to polling stations in Borlänge.

According to the information, the voters would afterwards receive ballot papers from the Left Party with candidates already pre-marked. The police began to monitor several people moving around the Kupolen shopping center and the Tjärna ängar area, commonly known as Little Mogadishu.

There, the police were able to collect photo evidence of the individuals over several days. According to sources to Samnytt, among others, Left Party’s elected MP Mohamed Abdukardir Ali and also elected Ahmed Abas Omar appear in the photos.

Furthermore, according to police information, both money at an ATM and ballot papers are involved in the events.

“In the surveillance photos, about 70 percent are Somali women standing in line outside the ATM by Kupolen in Borlänge,” a police source told Samnytt.

Legal Proceedings: Somali Clan

According to Expressen, a third person, a criminal known to the police from before, is also involved. He has an extensive criminal record and has been convicted of assault and witness intimidation, among other things.

“They drove the cars to the polling station back and forth with people, it was him and an older man,” the source told Expressen.

According to Expressen, the man is described as “respected” in police intelligence documents and is said to have had significant influence in the local community for several years. Furthermore, he is said to be related to Ahmed Abas Omar, who, by the way, has been convicted of four drug offenses.

In addition to the drug crimes, Left Party member Ahmed Abas Omar, as the association’s chairman, was also involved in the notable subsidy scandal involving Folkets hus Västra Borlänge.

In connection to the scandal, Borlänge municipality reportedly lost about half a million kronor. The affair has been described as one of the biggest subsidy scandals in the municipality’s history.

The third person, who on Wednesday was named in the suspected election fraud scandal, was indicted in 2021 for aggravated assault and another instance of witness intimidation. In that case, the victim later withdrew their report and explained in questioning that the conflict had been resolved within a Somali clan settlement.

“It was after, you know, elders, as you know, our religion if one wants to accept, so after the Do-a I called to withdraw the report since everything was sorted and so,” the man stated in questioning according to Expressen.

Last year, he was suspected of robbery, but the investigation was closed. The person is pointed out by the police as an aide to the politicians in finding voters who would vote.

The Red Toyota Was Never Searched

A central detail in the investigation is the red Toyota Corolla owned by a municipal official in Borlänge, which according to the information was used by the men. The car is said to have been used to drive voters to and from polling stations and therefore became an important part of the police’s surveillance.

But despite the car being part of the investigation, no search was conducted. Prosecutor Oskar Edvardsson never made a decision to search the vehicle.

“Everything feels organized. Except for the prosecutor,” the police source told Samnytt.

Mohamed Abdukardir Ali (V) shared a photo of ballots in a car. Photo: Facsimile Facebook

Irritation Within the Police: “Such a Damn Scandal”

According to police sources with whom both Expressen and Samnytt have spoken, there is irritation within the police and the view that the investigation would have been in a better position if the prosecutor had taken investigative actions.

“Prosecutor Oskar Edvardsson had everything served to him. But he did not consider Mohamed even reasonably suspected. They could have obtained bank records, checked surveillance cameras, ATM data, but nothing was done because Mohamed was not considered a suspect, even though this concerns a political candidate just before the election,” the police source told Samnytt and continued:

Prosecutor Oskar Edvardsson has emphasized that no person has been notified of suspicion and has not wished to comment on the specific investigative measures taken.

“Nothing was done because Mohamed was not considered a suspect. This happened during advance voting. It is such a damn scandal,” said Samnytt’s police source.

But now it is clear that the investigation into suspected election fraud, which he closed in the middle of the election campaign, has been reopened. The new investigation now involves three persons of interest, while information shows that the police already had knowledge of the activity now being reviewed before the election.