The aforementioned US trip was carried out by the Board in conjunction with the Indy car finals in San Francisco in the fall of 2019. SVT has now taken note of the Auditor's Audit PM where the Board is criticized for several significant deficiencies in internal control. Among other things, the auditor criticizes the Board's representation with alcohol during the US trip.

“We believe that there is a risk that the costs of the dinners with alcohol are disproportionate to the benefit of the members and may also be considered substantial. In the light of this, the Board should ensure that there is a representation policy within the organization and that this is taken into account when representation takes place ”.

Expensive costs

The auditor also criticizes the costs of the US trip as the Board, including Secretary-General Anna Nordkvist, incurred costs of more than SEK 40,000 per person. Due to the expensive costs, the Board exceeded its own annual budget by approximately SEK 570,000. In addition, relatives were on the trip, where members had to pay part of their trip.

“We have noted that there are expensive costs for the trip that appear to be attributable to related private individuals. According to the association's travel policy, this should not be paid for by the union. "

SVT Sport has sought Lars Pettersson, chairman of the Swedish Motor Sports Association (SBF), for a comment. He replies via email.

“With regard to representation, alcohol sometimes occurs at joint meetings, customer relationships and meetings. What the auditor says is that he cannot make the assessment whether they are reasonable or because we do not have a policy to relate to and have therefore recommended us to develop an alcohol and representation policy. We decided on it at our last board meeting to produce one and have delegated the task to the officials, ”he writes to SVT Sport.

Did you have any relatives on the trip and paid SBF for their trip?

“Yes, we had close relatives with us on the trip, but it has never been our intention for the union to bear their costs. I have taken on the responsibility of investigating if that is the case and in that case it will be corrected afterwards, ”the chairman writes.

The Union's survival

The auditor also writes in the PM that "the board needs to ensure that the union does not continue to make deficits of this size to ensure the association's survival". When SVT Sport spoke to Lars Pettersson earlier in April, he stated that they had not neglected and that the economy is good.

“Former Board members have been criticized for having" gathered in the barns "and since 2014, they have set minus budgets for the money to be spent on operations. Of course, the union cannot in all eternity carry a deficit, but we have equity of about seven million and that the property is valued at about nine million. Now we make a whole new budget for the year due to the corona situation. We do not know when our operations can start in Sweden or internationally. "