One week after being given the power to seize luxury items from people not suspected of a crime, Swedish police said on Friday they had already confiscated items worth nearly $1.0 million. The law, which was passed by parliament on October 2 and came into force on November 8, is part of the right-wing government’s crackdown on organised criminal gangs.
It allows police to seize cars, gold watches and other designer goods from people — including minors — suspected of having ties to criminal gangs, when the items are believed to have been bought with money earned from illicit activities, even if the person is not formally suspected of a crime. An example would be an expensive sports car driven by an unemployed person with no legal income and who cannot explain how they paid for it. Police said on Friday they had already acted in 56 cases, confiscating cash and items including cars, motorbikes, watches and bags worth more than over 10 million kronor ($910,000).
Seizures can be initiated by police but must then be approved by a court. According to police, none of the 56 cases had as of Friday gone before a court. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a press conference last week the new law — which has been controversial — was “the biggest reform since the criminal code was introduced” in 1965.
Critics — notably the Parliamentary Ombudsmen, who ensure that public authorities comply with legislation — have expressed concerns about the absence of a presumption of in.