Sveaskog AB and former Swedish primeminister Göran Persson in interrogation

January 28, 2010 by timbercommunity

The Swedish National Audit Office (SNAO) – examines Sveaskog AB and the company's chairman former primeminister Göran Persson in interrogation.

SNAO has begun a review of Sveaskog AB. Sveaskog is Sweden's largest forest owner and owned entirely by the state. Activities will be conducted on commercial terms but it also has specific functions such as helping to facilitate land exchanges. The review will assess whether the company operated in accordance with parliamentary decisions and intentions.

Business Magazine Dagens Industry (DI.SE) reports that Sweden's former Prime Minister Göran Persson has been summoned for questioning by the SNAO. A seven-year-old parliamentary decisions state that Sveaskog must sell its sawmill operations Setra. But nothing has happened despite last years strong economy for the sawery. Also Sveaskog CEO Gunnar Olofsson and Setra former CEO Kent Torwald has been called in for questioning.

Sveaskog AB's mission
Sveaskog AB is Sweden's largest forest owner and a wholly-owned state companies. Sveaskog's overall goal is to manage the state forests in exemplary fashion both from production and environmentally to ensure a long-term environmental and production sustainability.
 
Sveaskog operations shall be conducted under market conditions but the company has also had some specific tasks such as helping to facilitate land exchanges. Sveaskog's mission is broad and it is significant that the administration's ownership steering clear how the company should give priority to the purely economic objectives and the specific tasks.

The overall purpose of the review is to assess whether the company's operations are conducted in accordance with parliamentary decisions and intentions. The review focuses on the governance of the company and implemented based on the following issues:

    * Does the company operates under parliamentary decisions and intentions?
    * Has the government controlled company, in accordance with the parliamentary mandate and objectives?
    * How the company is working to fulfill their mission under owner-management guidelines and other rules?

The review affects Sveaskog AB and Government Offices, primarily through the Ministry of Employment, ownership unit. Although the Department of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture may be affected by the review given Sveaskog mission.

 The assessment will be ready with a review in March 2010.