Just over a month ago, the doctor in charge was charged with seven counts of fraud, seven counts of gross misrepresentation and two counts of forgery.

Today came the verdict.

The doctor is sentenced by the Gothenburg District Court for all charges to one year in prison.

This despite the fact that the prosecutor only demanded in a couple of months.

"Even if it is not a question of any major sums, the fact that [the defendant] in his capacity as a doctor has used the ongoing pandemic for his own gain means that the penalty for the fraudulent offenses is significantly higher than would otherwise be the case and is approaching the limit of serious crime.

", Reads in the judgment.

Prosecutor: He has abused his respect

In April 2020, the doctor, who has now been sentenced to prison, started the care company that offered quick answers to PCR tests.

In total, the clinic received 120 PCR tests, seven of which were never analyzed, according to chamber prosecutor James von Reis.

- The white coat inspires respect, but he has abused it in the grossest way.

Not a single certificate has a background in reality.

He has issued them without having any idea whether the people traveling were contagious or not.

It is an act suitable to increase the spread of infection during the ongoing pandemic, von Reis von said during the trial's closing arguments, reports Dagens Nyheter.

Defense Attorney: The penalty is remarkable

The doctor, on the other hand, denies any wrongdoing.

He believes that the PCR tests, to his knowledge, have been analyzed correctly and maintains that he has not created false documents.

- It is clear that the verdict is regrettable for my client because he claims his innocence.

If you look at the verdict as such, I can note that in principle they have not argued about the objections we have made and that the penalty is remarkably high, says defense lawyer Björn Hurtig to SVT. 

Everything the doctor has done speaks against him being a fraudster and he should therefore be acquitted, Hurtig argues.

He believes that the prosecutor relied too much on the laboratory's own internal investigation and has already decided to appeal the verdict.

- There are details in the judgment that the district court has not really thought clearly about, it feels like.

It must be tried by the Court of Appeal.

This includes intent and our objections, he says.

20,000 in damages

According to the indictment, the doctor must have defrauded himself of a total of SEK 4,630 from the plaintiffs.

Six of them will now be compensated with damages totaling just over SEK 20,000.

The verdict is based on several written pieces of evidence and most of the interrogations, including with staff from the laboratory specified, have tested the samples and provided test results.

The district court's assessment is that the laboratory did not receive or analyze any samples from the doctor or his company.

Nor have they provided any test results, either in writing or orally.

The man currently has his doctor's ID, but the Swedish Health and Care Inspectorate, IVO, may investigate the matter.

It is currently not known whether IVO has started such a supervisory case.

- It is clear that if he is convicted of this type of crime, it will certainly be a question of whether he can be a doctor anymore, says Hurtig.