Four Arrested in Serious Bribery Probe Linked to Stockholm Public Transport

On Tuesday morning, a significant police operation unfolded in the Stockholm area as authorities conducted several dawn raids targeting multiple addresses on suspicion of serious bribery. This investigation has led to the arrest of four individuals accused of both giving and receiving bribes. These alleged offenses appear to be connected to Stockholm's public transport authority, SL, and involve a company linked to public transport services within Region Stockholm.

The police activity and arrests came as a surprise to regional politicians who were in meetings unaware of the unfolding events. Kristoffer Tamsons, the opposition regional councilor from the Moderate Party (M), voiced strong concerns regarding the lack of communication and transparency from the ruling politicians and SL's board. He demanded an extraordinary meeting of the SL board to address the issue immediately and pressed for prompt information dissemination to the regional council and public.

Tamsons criticized the exclusion of opposition members from knowledge about what he described as serious criminal allegations involving regional employees. He questioned how the SL board and regional director remained uninformed despite the police actions, emphasizing that company law requires the board to be aware of any criminal suspicions affecting their operations. This silence, according to him, amounted to a "cover-up" that undermined accountability to the taxpayers of the region.

The traffic authority, represented by press officer Andreas Strömberg, declined to comment due to the ongoing legal proceedings and refrained from discussing any specifics of the allegations or potential consequences pending further investigation.

According to reports from Aftonbladet and P4 Stockholm, the investigation is at an early stage but relates directly to Region Stockholm's traffic authority's dealings, raising serious governance and integrity questions. The Moderaterna party has called for an urgent crisis meeting in the regional council to address the situation and ensure transparency moving forward.