Saab Hank continues in court – Västerbotten Courier

Economy. Money has been transferred to private accounts, important information has been withheld and misleading information was supplied by the media, according to the chief prosecutor Olof Sahlgren. Today was indicted three of the Saab automobile board again.

Facts

the car manufacturer Saab Automobile in Trollhattan went bankrupt in December 2011.

During the last two years was owned Saab Automobile, the Dutch Spyker, which bought the Swedish carmaker from General Motors.

Spyker’s leading representative was Victor Muller, who from May 2011 to the bankruptcy was both chairman and CEO of Saab Automobile.

in november 2012 it became known that the Swedish National Economic Crimes Bureau (EBM ) was investigating suspected tax evasion in Saab before the bankruptcy. A police report was made six months earlier.

May 16, 2013 made a search of Spyker of the Netherlands.

May 20, 2013 arrested several people, including Saab’s former CEO Jan Ake Jonsson and General Counsel Kristina Geers. They were released the following day. Jonsson and Geers were suspected of aggravated evasion of tax.

In March 2015 it became known that even Victor Muller was suspected of tax evasion.

In September 2015 left the chief prosecutor Olof Sahlgren the EBM into the first prosecution in the investigation of Saab Automobile.

in February 2016 indicted the previous peaks in Saab Automobile – with Victor Muller and CEO Jan-Ake Jonsson in the lead – for serious economic crime. In addition, the prosecution was also General Counsel Kristina Geers and a former corporate lawyer and a former interim chief financial officer.

In August 2016 prosecuted Muller, Jonsson and Geers again.

The three indicted Saab’s former Chairman and CEO Victor Muller, former CEO Jan Ake Jonsson and the company’s former General Counsel Kristina Geers. Those accused of gross evasion of tax and for serious racketeering of Vanersborg District Court.

– I mean they, among other things gone with misleading information to the media in spring 2011. They stood before the media and said that the company has had a good liquidity while the company had big problems with liquidity and payables at hundreds of million. A few days later, after they appeared in the media, it comes out that Saab had accounts payable 695 million to 905 subcontractors, says chief prosecutor Olof Sahlgren.

Payments to private accounts

According to prosecutor are also errors in the financial statements from the year 2010.

– Saab had big problems during the end of 2010 with the liquidity and solvency. They have difficulty paying out money to GM made a new Saab model. GM threatens to halt production of the new car. Saab and GM agreed to Saab among others would pay money weekly to the GM that they would continue production. Some of this should have been disclosed in the annual report says the prosecutor.

In addition to the charge roughly scam accused the three also for rough evasion of tax.

– the Economic Crime Authority considers Muller sent false invoices to Saab automobile and the company then paid money to Muller’s private account and into another person’s private account, said the prosecutor.

Lawyer: Is innocent

Lawyer Per E Samuelson, defending Kristina Geers, believe that the authority will be proved in court that his client is innocent, as in other similar cases, as Trustor, HQ bank and Prosolvia.

– My client is innocent. She has fought tooth and nail for Saab to survive, he said.

Economic Crimes Bureau criticized

He is also critical of how the Swedish Economic Crime Authority manages events relating to major listed companies.

– they make the mistake that they do not see that a general counsel of a large company is an honest person who goes to his job and does his best. The devalues ​​them and do not listen to the accused picture of what happened.

In the investigation into the tours in Saab Automobile has a total of seven people indicted.