Political Storm Over Sida's Funding Decisions and Allegations of Interference

A controversy has emerged surrounding the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and accusations of political interference in its funding decisions, specifically regarding the foundation Hepatica, affiliated with the Sverigedemokraterna (SD). Benjamin Dousa, Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation, firmly rejected claims of ministerial control over Sida, asserting that neither he nor his secretary, Diana Janse, has ever guaranteed funding to any organization.

In an interview with Dagens Nyheter, Dousa conveyed, "We have never promised a krona to SD’s Hepatica; what we have said is that the new party-related support should largely be based on the distribution of mandates in the parliament." This statement comes in light of internal emails suggesting that political pressure may have played a role in rethinking Sida’s initial rejection of funding for Hepatica.

The Social Democrats have responded strongly, demanding the resignation of Janse and preparing to file a complaint against Dousa with the Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution. Dousa acknowledged the previous insufficiency of Hepatica's application but noted that Sida had reversed their decision afterward, allegedly due to political influence from Janse.

Dousa insisted that funding decisions should be made on the merit of applications alone, stating, "We are never involved in individual decisions. However, we do press to ensure our policies are implemented across all our agencies." The controversy is further complicated by the government's recent freezing of aid to UNRWA, which also raised eyebrows and criticism regarding the potential for political interference in independent agencies.