It was during the fall of 2021 that PM Nilsson, now the prime minister's right-hand man, was caught red-handed when he poached eels in the Karlskrona archipelago.

He was convicted and the punishment was SEK 38,800 in daily fines. 

Assignment review has taken note of HaV's report and seizure protocol.

In PM Nilsson's boat there were four Russian eels and a catch of 15 eels.

A total of 11 kilos. 

The explanation: Would pick up trash

PM Nilsson said the Russians were not his and claimed he was in the archipelago to pick up trash and broken glass. 

"We did not see any equipment in the man's boat that is used for trash picking, such as garbage bags or gloves," the fisheries inspectors write in the seizure report. 

The Secretary of State admitted the other day that he lied.

Both for HaV's inspectors and later also for the police who investigated the crime.

After the Christmas holiday, he repented and admitted the poaching to the police and could be sentenced by a penalty order.

“Had no signs of clothing”

In a post on Facebook, Prime Minister Nilsson wrote on Wednesday that he initially denied owning the fishing gear as he did not understand that the men who showed up with a boat were fisheries inspectors:

“They had no sign of a boat or clothing that they came from an authority.

I interpreted them as claiming the Russians.”

"Doesn't see how he could have misunderstood" 

But HaV gives a different picture: 

- As always when we are out doing checks, the first thing we do is introduce ourselves and which authority we come from, we did that in this case as well, says Tobias Jeppsson.

But then he's not telling the truth about this, is he? 

- No.

I don't see that you could misunderstand where we were coming from, it was very clear. 

In Uppdrag granskning's report "The last eel" from 2021, you can see how HaV's fisheries inspectors work against poaching. 

- We have our uniform, our work clothes, which you wear for the entire work shift.

Point!, says Martin Bjerner, head of fisheries control at HaV.

Have applied for PM Nilsson

Mission review has during the day contacted State Secretary PM Nilsson - who has not returned. 

Since 2016, HaV has seized more than 1,200 illegal eels during checks in southern Sweden and assesses that poaching takes in as much eel as the legal fishing for which a number of professional fishermen have permits. 

- The eel is an acutely endangered species whose population today is at an extremely critical level.

The authority takes a very serious view of all illegal fishing, but especially of an endangered species like the eel, says Martin Bjerner at HaV.