Far-right party in Sweden got anonymous donations above legal limits: Report

LONDON

A Swedish far-right party has received hundreds of thousands of dollars – breaking legal limits – of anonymous donors due to loopholes in the system, Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter reported on Wednesday.

The Alternative for Sweden party has received donations of 4.3 million Swedish kroner ($405,000) despite the law stating that the maximum donation through anonymous means is 24,150 kroner ($2,280). Contributions exceeding the amount must be reported.

Alternative for Sweden is led by Gustav Kasselstrand and was formed by him and other expelled members from the Swedish Democrat’s youth union, the SDU.

“This goes against the whole spirit of the legislation. On the other hand, it is clear that the entire new regulatory framework has aimed to prevent us from having anonymous support for parties,” Jonas Hinnfors, a political scientist at the University of Gothenburg, told Dagens Nyheter.

Swedish politicians ignored the warnings by experts like Hinnfors, who said that through loopholes in the law, associations and foundations can still be used for anonymous contributions to political parties, the daily reported.