Tax-evading Swedish pensioner 'too old' for jail
A 91-year-old Swedish woman who is "too old" to be sent to prison told Swedish Enforcement Authorities (Kronofogden) they could take her coffin once she passed away, claiming she had no other possessions to pay off her debts.
"The house isn't in my name, there is nothing they can take," the woman told the Aftonbladet newspaper.
The paper reported that Ingrid had been charged with tax fraud on five separate occasions and was proven guilty each time, something that normally leads to a prison sentence. Due to her advanced age, however, she got away with probation and a hefty fine.
Ingrid claimed there was nothing the Enforcement Authority could take, since she was not the official owner of her home, but instead had another proposal for the authorities.
"They can have my coffin when I'm gone," she said.
The woman started her criminal career in the sixties and since then avoided paying millions of kronor (1 million kronor = $152,100) in taxes to the Swedish state, leaving a number of bankrupted companies behind. She claimed her criminal activities were unintentional.
"I have worked like a dog my entire life and never purposely tricked any person or the state," she said.
Swedish criminals over 65 years of age are handled with extra care when it comes to punishments. However, the crime rate among this particular group rose by 67 percent between 2002 and 2011.
A few weeks ago, Lillemor Östlin, 75, was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for an aggravated drug offence. Statistically, she was one of the few elderly criminals who actually got sent to prison for committing a crime, Aftonbladet reported.
The Local/sh
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"The house isn't in my name, there is nothing they can take," the woman told the Aftonbladet newspaper.
The paper reported that Ingrid had been charged with tax fraud on five separate occasions and was proven guilty each time, something that normally leads to a prison sentence. Due to her advanced age, however, she got away with probation and a hefty fine.
Ingrid claimed there was nothing the Enforcement Authority could take, since she was not the official owner of her home, but instead had another proposal for the authorities.
"They can have my coffin when I'm gone," she said.
The woman started her criminal career in the sixties and since then avoided paying millions of kronor (1 million kronor = $152,100) in taxes to the Swedish state, leaving a number of bankrupted companies behind. She claimed her criminal activities were unintentional.
"I have worked like a dog my entire life and never purposely tricked any person or the state," she said.
Swedish criminals over 65 years of age are handled with extra care when it comes to punishments. However, the crime rate among this particular group rose by 67 percent between 2002 and 2011.
A few weeks ago, Lillemor Östlin, 75, was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for an aggravated drug offence. Statistically, she was one of the few elderly criminals who actually got sent to prison for committing a crime, Aftonbladet reported.
The Local/sh
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