Alexander Ernstberger claims political influence in the Allra case
Quick Look
Alexander Ernstberger, sentenced to six years in prison for the Allra affair, claims that the sentence was influenced by political pressure from the Social Democrats via a so-called gray eminence, whose information was later not confirmed but was still used in his book.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Alexander Ernstberger was sentenced in 2021 to six years in prison for crimes in connection with the Allra affair where pension funds were defrauded of multi-million sums. He claims innocence and that the case was used politically.
Alexander Ernstberger was sentenced in 2021 to six years in prison for crimes in connection with deals where he and others enriched themselves with multi-million sums from pension funds in the so-called Allra deal.
Ernstberger maintains his innocence. He says that Allra was used as a pawn in a political game by the Social Democrats, who he believes needed a scandal to push through a cross-block settlement:
- I don't think the pension system would have been reformed if it wasn't for Allra.
Gray eminence
In the application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court, Ernstberger's lawyers invoked, among other things, Jev and wrote that representatives from the Ministry of Finance, where Magdalena Andersson (S) was the responsible minister, contacted the members of the Court of Appeal to influence the verdict.
As evidence for the data, which Alexander Ernstberger takes up in his book and which has been spread in the media, a key witness is used – a man Ernstberger calls a "gray eminence".
According to Ernstberger, he must have been an adviser to the government, with a heavy network of contacts in politics and business.
Anonymous calls
Now "the gray eminence" tells Uppdrag gruensking that he was contacted by Ernstberger's mother who told her about alleged pressure from officials and politicians.
Shortly after, a man started calling from a hidden number.
- The man states that he has information about how the court has reasoned and how it has been influenced, says "the gray eminence".
He forwards the information to Ernstberger's lawyer Carl-Johan Malmberg, who records the meeting against "the gray eminence's" will. He says he is clear that the information comes from anonymous calls and should not be referred to.
According to Carl-Johan Malmberg, "the gray eminence" never went into what the sources were.
"Not Confirmed"
Just over a year after the meeting with the lawyer, "the gray eminence" sends a text message to Carl-Johan Malmberg:
"The assumptions and speculations that came out early on from various quarters, including anonymous conversations, have not confirmed the alleged truth. I therefore do not want to further contribute to these speculations."
Despite this, the information in Ernstberger's book was used. Alexander Ernstberger says that he used them carefully and that the reader can decide whose version is true.
Ernstberger's mother says she has a different picture than "the gray eminence" of the events.
The former secretary of state, who according to the lawyers should have contacted the Court of Appeal, calls the accusation "Kafka-esque" and says it is not true.
The Supreme Court did not take up the Allra case.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The debate about the Allra affair and legal certainty will continue in the media and possibly lead to new investigations.
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- Who is the Gray Eminence and what was his actual role?
- Was there real influence on the members of the Court of Appeal from the Ministry of Finance?
- Why did Ernstberger use information that was later not confirmed in his book?
