On Monday, the government entity that audits public spending created a new whistle-blower program for employees and suppliers who suspect fraud. The entity said it welcomed tips about wages, subsidies and purchases done with government funds.
Nielsen, who once struggled to pay her bills, got a 6 1/2-year prison sentence for her misdeeds. It’s one of the harshest Denmark has ever handed out for financial crimes, but in practice she may walk free three years from now. Stein Bagger, a bodybuilding IT fraudster, got seven years in 2009 for a $125 million heist in which he defrauded his investors.
Danes seem to think their criminal justice system is a bit toothless, and have turned to social media to vent. Entrepreneur Martin Thorborg joked that with a sentence like Nielsen’s, he might consider stealing money “in his next life,” instead of working hard and paying taxes for over 30 years.
Bruus says the Nielsen case has forced Danes to reflect on who they are, and whether they can preserve a social model held up by the likes of Bernie Sanders and Paul Krugman as one for the U.S. to emulate.
For now, Denmark’s Auditor General has started an investigation into the workings of the country’s tax agency, in an effort to figure out what went wrong.
--With assistance from Niclas Rolander.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.