Analysis: "Magdalena Andersson looks like she needs to turn over some stones in Botkyrka"

Security experts have long warned of a serious crime that is measuring itself ever further into society.

There are several examples of how organized crime has infiltrated important social functions and individual municipalities.

The purpose is often to access state or municipal funds, or to acquire other influence that can generate money.

In fact, serious crime's income from this type of financial crime is now greater than the income from drug sales.

It is against this background that the tours in Botkyrka should be seen.

Among other things, this concerns suspected connections between ABF and the Vårby network.

In a report commissioned by the municipal management and the deposed municipal councilor Ebba Östlin from a security company, harsh criticism was directed at abuses at ABF's recreational facilities in Botkyrka.

"Leisure parks, hangouts for criminals"

The report described, among other things, how criminals increasingly had a say in the business and how adults walked around the premises wearing protective vests, together with the children.

There was also information about hashish and cocaine on the premises.

Police officers have described the leisure centers as hangouts for criminals.

Several of the employees also had connections to networks.

With this report as a basis, the municipal management in Botkyrka closed ABF's leisure centers in the municipality.

It led to harsh criticism from the ABF, who dismissed the report as false.

A couple of weeks ago, the critics managed to depose municipal councilor Ebba Östlin at a members' meeting.

With the support of a large number of completely new members at the meeting, including at least one with criminal connections, the critics were able to gather a majority against Ebba Östlin.

But there are many question marks surrounding what happened.

Representatives of the Social Democrats at national level initially tried to play down the suspected links to gang crime.

The battle in Botkyrka was rather about leadership and old contradictions, it was said.

Now party secretary Tobias Baudin has nevertheless promised that the matter will be investigated.

"Anything else damages credibility"

Several leading Social Democrats, including party secretary Tobias Baudin, have simultaneously claimed that they only became aware of the suspected gang connections in Botkyrka last week.

Screenshots obtained by SVT show, however, that deputy party secretary Nils Wikmång was already informed in November last year about connections between ABF and the Vårby network.

Given the seriousness of this, it is hard to see that he would not have passed this information on to the party leadership.

First and foremost because it means a great risk for a party like the Social Democrats to be infiltrated by organized crime.

It would also entail significant political risk-taking for the party, which has singled out organized crime as one of the absolute biggest problems in Sweden today.

The Social Democrats' party leader Magdalena Andersson repeated time and time again in the election campaign that she wanted to turn over every stone to get at the serious crime.

Now it looks like she needs to turn over some stones in Botkyrka.

Everything else damages the credibility of the Social Democrats.