The government wants to tighten the rules regarding which residents in the country should be able to access benefits and allowances. In an ongoing inquiry, the possibility of excluding individuals convicted of serious crime from various forms of financial support from society is now being reviewed.

The government argues that incorrect payments today are exploited by criminal networks. As part of the effort, a commission has now been tasked with analyzing the possibility of a more general benefits ban, where people linked to serious criminality can be excluded from different types of financial compensation.

The background is reports that large sums are incorrectly paid out from the welfare systems every year. According to estimates, this amounts to between 15 and 20 billion kronor annually, money that in some cases is suspected of being used to finance organized crime.

The government describes the work of stopping benefits fraud and cutting off the criminal economy as a central part in the fight against gangs, where the goal is to reduce their economic room for maneuver and hamper their operations.

Taking it further now

The issue of so-called benefits bans has already been on the government’s agenda. In March, a bill was presented aimed at stopping people who commit benefits fraud from continuing to receive payments from the social insurance system. That proposal, however, was limited specifically to benefits fraud and only covered parts of the welfare system.

Now the government wants to go further. An inquiry has been given an expanded mandate to analyze whether individuals convicted, for example, of violent crimes or terrorist offenses should also be able to be excluded from more types of financial compensation and benefits.

Stopping the flow to gang criminals and rapists

Minister for the Elderly and Social Security, Anna Tenje (Moderate Party), links the proposal to what the government describes as serious criminality and a lack of legitimacy in today’s system. It may also concern, for example, rapists.

– If you are a terrorist, gang criminal, or rape women, we believe you have forfeited your right to benefits and allowances, she says.

At the same time, the inquiry will also examine how authorities can get better tools to identify individuals with serious criminal backgrounds. Among other things, it will be considered whether the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and the Public Employment Service should be given expanded access to information from the criminal records register.

According to the current plan, an interim report will be submitted on June 30, 2027, while the final report will be presented on April 30, 2028.

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