Magnus Nyman's Colleague Sentenced to Prison

The wanted director Magnus Nyman's accused colleague had hoped for an acquittal. However, the man has now been sentenced to several years in prison and a business ban. Additionally, he faces a hefty financial penalty: a million-kronor claim.

It is the Attunda District Court in Sollentuna that has convicted the 56-year-old for aggravated money laundering and sentenced him to four years and 10 months in prison. The court has also issued a five-year business ban and demands over a million kronor from him to the Swedish state. The transactions for which the man is convicted involve approximately 2.3 billion kronor, which the prosecutor previously claimed originated from economic crime.

Originally, the wanted director Magnus Nyman, 47, was also supposed to be on trial. However, he is missing and has been detained in absentia.

The district court has not forgotten about Magnus Nyman.

"The charges against Magnus Nyman remain to be tried in the case, which is why this judgment constitutes a so-called partial judgment," writes the Attunda District Court in the judgment against the 56-year-old man.

The man was part of the management of the now-bankrupt company Active Business Group Sthlm AB, ABG, which has been accused of extensive so-called "carousel trading" primarily with mobile phones. ABG was one of several companies in the alleged crime chain aimed at defrauding the state of VAT money.

During the trial at Attunda District Court, the man denied involvement in VAT fraud. He explained that he had no reason to suspect that the trade was part of any VAT fraud.

The court largely agrees with the prosecutor's line.

Sentence Reduction

Prosecutor Olof Vrethammar indicated during the trial that the sentence value was six years in prison. However, the district court believes there is no evidence that the now-convicted 56-year-old was behind the crime plan but rather acted indifferently, and the sentence should be just over five years in prison. However, the man receives a slight sentence reduction, partly because he also suffers from a five-year business ban and partly due to the delay of several years before the trial began.

The court also confiscates 1,029,350 kronor from the 56-year-old. This is money he is deemed to have earned from the business.

The tax court, Förvaltningsrätten, has already previously established that the 56-year-old has a representative responsibility for the bankrupt company Active Business Group Sthlm AB, ABG. The company's financial debt to the Swedish Tax Agency after bankruptcy means that the debt fell partly on the 56-year-old, who now carries a tax debt of over a billion kronor.

Gigantic Tax Debt

The district court sees no reason to deviate from the million-kronor claim due to the gigantic tax debt. The court writes:

"The fact that the Administrative Court in Stockholm has ordered (the 56-year-old) to jointly with Active Business Group AB in bankruptcy pay the company's tax debts of over a billion kronor does not constitute grounds against a forfeiture and should not lead to a reduction of the forfeiture amount."

Expressen seeks the 56-year-old's defense attorney, Thomas Johansson.