Svindleri - Vilseledande i ljuset av Swedbankdomen, Svea hovrätts dom 2024-09-09 i mål B 2457-23
(2024) LAGF03 20242Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract
- Gross fraud, as regulated in Chapter 9, Section 9 of the Swedish Penal Code, is a form of fraud targeting the general public. The offense has been sparingly addressed in Swedish case law and remains underexplored in legal scholarship. It gained renewed attention in the fall of 2024 when the Svea Court of Appeal sentenced Swedbank's former CEO to 15 months in prison in what has been described as the corporate trial of the century.
This thesis aims to enhance understanding of how the element of misleading information was applied in the Swedbank judgment and to examine issues regarding to the compliance with the rule of law, raised by the court's interpretation of the gross fraud provision. A legal dogmatic method, supplemented by a... (More) - Gross fraud, as regulated in Chapter 9, Section 9 of the Swedish Penal Code, is a form of fraud targeting the general public. The offense has been sparingly addressed in Swedish case law and remains underexplored in legal scholarship. It gained renewed attention in the fall of 2024 when the Svea Court of Appeal sentenced Swedbank's former CEO to 15 months in prison in what has been described as the corporate trial of the century.
This thesis aims to enhance understanding of how the element of misleading information was applied in the Swedbank judgment and to examine issues regarding to the compliance with the rule of law, raised by the court's interpretation of the gross fraud provision. A legal dogmatic method, supplemented by a critical perspective, is employed to highlight deficiencies in the application of the law.
The analysis reveals that the assessment of misleading information involves a degree of discretion, making it challenging to clearly delineate the boundaries of criminal liability. The Svea Court of Appeal emphasized the requirement for specificity but also deemed subtle and implied inaccuracies punishable. This comprehensive approach, which considers context and strategies such as selective disclosures and evasive answers, represents a departure from previous case law that primarily addressed less sophisticated forms of gross fraud.
The court's interpretation of misleading information appears subjectively teleological, aiming to protect market integrity. However, its extensive interpretation of the law blurs the boundaries between legitimate signalling and punishable misleading conduct. This ambiguity poses challenges for both legal certainty and practical enforcement. Based on practical legal application, a hypothetical liability rule has been established.
The thesis argues that some degree of vagueness in the gross fraud provision may be justified to avoid frequent legislative amendments and to allow the criminalisation of subtle but culpable conduct. Nevertheless, it underscores the need for courts to more clearly define the scope of criminal liability to ensure that the provision's protected interests are upheld without compromising the principle of legality.
Note: The Swedish term "svindleri" lacks a direct English equivalent. It is translated here as "gross fraud" to emphasize its serious nature, though it specifically pertains to fraudulent acts aimed at misleading the public, particularly in the context of financial markets. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Svindleri, reglerat i 9 kap. 9 § brottsbalken, är en form av bedrägeri riktat mot allmänheten. Brottet är sparsamt behandlat i svensk praxis och relativt outforskat inom rättsvetenskapen. Det fick förnyad uppmärksamhet när Svea hovrätt hösten 2024 dömde Swedbanks tidigare vd till 15 månaders fängelse i vad som beskrivits som århundradets näringslivsrättegång.
Uppsatsen syfte är att bidra med ökad förståelse för hur rekvisitet vilseledande tillämpades i Swedbankdomen samt undersöka de legalitetsaspekter av svindleribestämmelsen som därigenom aktualiseras.
Uppsatsen genomförs med rättsdogmatisk metod. Metoden kompletteras med ett kritiskt rättssäkerhetsperspektiv.
Analysen visar att bedömningen av rekvisitet vilseledande präglas av... (More) - Svindleri, reglerat i 9 kap. 9 § brottsbalken, är en form av bedrägeri riktat mot allmänheten. Brottet är sparsamt behandlat i svensk praxis och relativt outforskat inom rättsvetenskapen. Det fick förnyad uppmärksamhet när Svea hovrätt hösten 2024 dömde Swedbanks tidigare vd till 15 månaders fängelse i vad som beskrivits som århundradets näringslivsrättegång.
Uppsatsen syfte är att bidra med ökad förståelse för hur rekvisitet vilseledande tillämpades i Swedbankdomen samt undersöka de legalitetsaspekter av svindleribestämmelsen som därigenom aktualiseras.
Uppsatsen genomförs med rättsdogmatisk metod. Metoden kompletteras med ett kritiskt rättssäkerhetsperspektiv.
Analysen visar att bedömningen av rekvisitet vilseledande präglas av viss skönsmässighet, vilket gör det svårt att tydligt avgränsa det straffbara området. Hovrätten betonade kravet på konkretion men accepterade även subtila och antydda oriktigheter som straffbara. Rätten gjorde därefter en helhetsbedömning där hänsyn togs till kontext, skeva urval och glidande svar. Denna tillämpning skiljer sig från tidigare praxis, vilken främst behandlat mer osofistikerade fall av svindleri. Utifrån den praktiska tillämpningen av hovrätten presenteras en hypotetisk ansvarsregel av författaren.
Domstolens tolkning av rekvisitet uppfattas som subjektivt teleologisk, syftandes till att skydda marknaden, men den extensiva tolkningen medför osäkerhet kring gränsen mellan legitim kursvård och straffbar vilseledning. Detta skapar utmaningar för rättssäkerheten och den praktiska tillämpningen.
Uppsatsen tillstår att obestämdhet i svindleribestämmelsen kan vara acceptabel ur ett legalitetsperspektiv för att undvika återkommande lagändringar och för att möjliggöra kriminalisering av subtila straffvärda handlingar. Samtidigt framhålls behovet av att domstolarna framöver tydligare avgränsar det straffbara området för att säkerställa att svindleribestämmelsens skyddsintressen försvaras utan att avkall ges på rättssäkerheten. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9180369
- author
- Silverklang, Daniel LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- LAGF03 20242
- year
- 2024
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- straffrätt, svindleri, vilseledande, legalitetsprincipen, bedrägeri, Bonnesen, Swedbank
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9180369
- date added to LUP
- 2025-03-20 14:22:04
- date last changed
- 2025-03-20 14:22:04
@misc{9180369,
abstract = {{Gross fraud, as regulated in Chapter 9, Section 9 of the Swedish Penal Code, is a form of fraud targeting the general public. The offense has been sparingly addressed in Swedish case law and remains underexplored in legal scholarship. It gained renewed attention in the fall of 2024 when the Svea Court of Appeal sentenced Swedbank's former CEO to 15 months in prison in what has been described as the corporate trial of the century.
This thesis aims to enhance understanding of how the element of misleading information was applied in the Swedbank judgment and to examine issues regarding to the compliance with the rule of law, raised by the court's interpretation of the gross fraud provision. A legal dogmatic method, supplemented by a critical perspective, is employed to highlight deficiencies in the application of the law.
The analysis reveals that the assessment of misleading information involves a degree of discretion, making it challenging to clearly delineate the boundaries of criminal liability. The Svea Court of Appeal emphasized the requirement for specificity but also deemed subtle and implied inaccuracies punishable. This comprehensive approach, which considers context and strategies such as selective disclosures and evasive answers, represents a departure from previous case law that primarily addressed less sophisticated forms of gross fraud.
The court's interpretation of misleading information appears subjectively teleological, aiming to protect market integrity. However, its extensive interpretation of the law blurs the boundaries between legitimate signalling and punishable misleading conduct. This ambiguity poses challenges for both legal certainty and practical enforcement. Based on practical legal application, a hypothetical liability rule has been established.
The thesis argues that some degree of vagueness in the gross fraud provision may be justified to avoid frequent legislative amendments and to allow the criminalisation of subtle but culpable conduct. Nevertheless, it underscores the need for courts to more clearly define the scope of criminal liability to ensure that the provision's protected interests are upheld without compromising the principle of legality.
Note: The Swedish term "svindleri" lacks a direct English equivalent. It is translated here as "gross fraud" to emphasize its serious nature, though it specifically pertains to fraudulent acts aimed at misleading the public, particularly in the context of financial markets.}},
author = {{Silverklang, Daniel}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Svindleri - Vilseledande i ljuset av Swedbankdomen, Svea hovrätts dom 2024-09-09 i mål B 2457-23}},
year = {{2024}},
}