In Malmö, three personal assistants claimed to accompany a client to Ghana but stayed in Sweden, leading to a police report and demands for repayment of salaries. The incident highlights serious breaches of trust and contractual obligations.
Municipal Employees Fake Trip to Africa, Stay in Malmö
Municipal Employees Fake Trip to Africa, Stay in Malmö
Malmö: A personal assistant was supposed to travel to Ghana in Africa but stayed home in Malmö.
In January, a client from the disability support administration traveled to Ghana for a purpose kept confidential by the administration. Accompanying the client were three personal assistants on a trip planned to last until the end of June.
However, after a few months, the administration grew suspicious as the personal assistants were hard to reach when the manager called to check on the situation.
“We are at the market”
Often, only brief and vague responses were received via text messages about what was happening.
In one text, a personal assistant assured their manager that everything was fine during the trip: “We are at the market, the client is doing well.”
Yet, salaries continued to be paid, totaling over 450,000 SEK, to the three assistants.
The trip was extended by another month and a half during the summer, with plans to return in early August. The assistants' manager then began demanding boarding passes and addresses in Ghana to confirm the trip had actually taken place.
When no answers were forthcoming, the manager called the client directly and asked if the employees were with them in Ghana. The client revealed they were not, and that the personal assistants had been in Sweden the entire time.
– “This is very serious,” says Malin Hansson, HR manager at the disability support administration in Malmö.
Two of the personal assistants resigned when confronted with the information. The third, who sent the text about being at the market, is now being dismissed.
“A significant breach of contract”
– “The responsible manager tried to contact the employee but failed, and then received a text saying she was at the market and everything was fine. This is deceitful, and the client confirmed it,” says Malin Hansson about the reasons for the dismissal.
According to meeting notes from the administration with the now-dismissed personal assistant, she admitted never being in Ghana. She claimed her salary was used to hire a physiotherapist, doctor, nurse, and other healthcare staff for the client in Ghana, stating she intended to travel but faced issues with flight tickets and accommodation. She also blamed the client, who was supposed to cover the flight cost.
The administration states the woman committed “a significant breach of contract” by acting as if she was on duty, including sending messages that implied she was with the client – but in reality, she was not working.
Municipality Files Police Report
The woman is now dismissed and must repay five months' salary that the municipality paid before the truth was uncovered. This amounts to a salary debt of over 150,000 SEK.
– “These are the five months until the employer became aware and stopped the salary,” says Malin Hansson, describing the situation as “very serious.”
The two who chose to resign voluntarily must also repay their salaries, and all three have been reported to the police for fraudulent behavior. They are to repay over 140,000 SEK each.
The three personal assistants were so-called PAN employees, often relatives who receive compensation for assisting a severely disabled family member. The support is based on the principle that severely disabled individuals should also have the opportunity to travel abroad.
The client had previously traveled to Ghana with personal assistants according to the labor law investigation. When asked about the client's current situation and whether they are being investigated by the municipality, the HR manager responded in a text:
“In that matter, we will not comment as there is a preliminary investigation confidentiality.”