The Think Pink scandal sees legal fees under scrutiny as the Swedish Chancellor of Justice appeals to reduce the costs covered by taxpayers. Fariba Vancor, convicted of serious environmental crimes, and Leif Ivan Karlsson, acquitted but seeking further compensation, are at the center of the legal battle. The case highlights the financial burden of legal defenses in complex cases.
Controversy Over Legal Fees in Think Pink Scandal
Controversy Over Legal Fees in Think Pink Scandal
Waste management mogul Fariba Vancor was sentenced to six years in prison for serious environmental crimes in the Think Pink scandal. Her lawyers billed over eight million kronor, a cost borne by taxpayers. The Chancellor of Justice deems these fees "excessive" and is appealing the district court's decision on legal fees to the Court of Appeal.
Lawyers for the defendants in the Think Pink case demanded a total of over 47 million kronor after the trial in Södertörn District Court, as previously reported by Expressen.
Of this, Fariba Vancor's lawyers requested over eight million kronor.
Initially, Vancor, formerly known as Bella Nilsson, hired lawyer Thomas Bodström. Dissatisfied, she requested a change from the district court.
Bodström billed two million kronor for his services.
Vancor then hired two new legal representatives – lawyer Thomas Olsson and lawyer Jan Tibbling, a former prosecutor at the Economic Crime Authority.
When the district court proceedings concluded, their invoices were as follows:
- Thomas Olsson: 3.3 million kronor.
- Jan Tibbling: Over 3 million kronor.
Chancellor Seeks to Reduce Legal Costs
The district court found the amounts too high and reduced them.
Now, the Chancellor of Justice seeks to further reduce the lawyers' fees. This is outlined in an appeal to the Svea Court of Appeal.
The Chancellor argues that the court should reduce Olsson's invoice by the equivalent of 200 hours of work and Tibbling's by 300 hours, totaling 500 hours – equivalent to over one million kronor.
The appeal states that the main issue is the excessive billing for the review of the preliminary investigation.
Jan Tibbling plans to appeal the Chancellor's decision.
"I have not claimed to have spent more time than I actually did, and everyone is entitled to their opinion, which we will argue," says Tibbling.
"If you initiate massive cases with extensive preliminary investigations, you must read, and the defense will cost some money," Tibbling adds.
He also believes that the district court's decision to reduce his fee is incorrect and will also be challenged in the Court of Appeal.
Lawyer Thomas Olsson has requested an extension to comment on the matter until the end of August.
"I will return with comments then," says Olsson.
Demands Additional 1.5 Million Kronor
Think Pink's former CEO Leif Ivan Karlsson has also filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal.
Like Fariba Vancor, Karlsson replaced his appointed public defender with two private defense lawyers, Staffan Bergqvist and Christina Bergenstein.
He financed this through loans from his children.
When Leif Ivan Karlsson was acquitted, the district court decided to reimburse part of his legal costs. But not all.
Karlsson's lawyers billed a total of 4.4 million kronor, but the district court decided to reimburse him 2.8 million kronor.
Karlsson has now appealed this decision to the Court of Appeal, demanding an additional 1.5 million kronor from the state.
His two lawyers, Christina Bergenstein and Staffan Bergqvist, write in the appeal:
"The hourly rate of 2,500 kronor per hour claimed by both lawyer Christina Bergenstein and lawyer Staffan Bergqvist is reasonable. The fee is rather low compared to the fee regularly claimed by representatives and private defenders in general courts."
They also refer to the fact that the legal representatives of Botkyrka and Västerås municipalities received 2,300 kronor per hour. Botkyrka and Västerås were hardest hit by Think Pink's operations.
"There is no reason to treat Leif Karlsson's defenders differently from the municipalities' representatives," the lawyers write.
"Now the Hell Begins Again"
Leif Ivan Karlsson himself is upset.
"It's so unfair that Bella Nilsson was allowed to change her lawyer and that the state pays for her new lawyers. My children now have to pay 1.5 million even though I was acquitted."
He is also disappointed that the prosecutor appealed the district court's decision where he was acquitted of serious environmental crimes.
"I was happy for barely three weeks. How can he even appeal the verdict, it's outrageous," says Leif Ivan Karlsson.
The Court of Appeal hearing will begin in November this year.
In the fall, Leif Ivan Karlsson will also face trial again, charged with serious economic crimes related to both Think Pink and his previous shipping business.
This includes serious accounting offenses and gross dishonesty against creditors.
"Now the hell begins again, damn it. My sleep problems have returned. Someone simply doesn't like me. I'm completely innocent," says Leif Ivan Karlsson.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article included an image purportedly showing Fariba Vancor's defender Jan Tibbling, but it depicted lawyer Henrik Olsson Lilja.