Last Thursday, the government made the formal decision to let Anna Kinberg Batra leave her post as Governor of Stockholm County after harsh criticism from the Parliamentary Ombudsman regarding three disputed recruitments.
Instead, she will now get a new position at the Government Offices with a retained million-kronor salary, entirely in accordance with the agreement and practice.
The work of changing the rules for the "elephant graveyard" is now underway at the Government Offices, which may lead to a "lex Anna Kinberg Batra".
There is a practice that has been established for many years, that directors-general and agency heads are moved to the Government Offices. One can reasonably question whether it is a good regulatory framework that we have today. Therefore, we have now initiated such a process, says Ulf Kristersson.
He sees the opportunities to change the rules as good.
The fundamental regulatory framework is about directors-general having a degree of independence. They are appointed by the government but are to manage their agencies independently. It is a good Swedish tradition.
But the regulatory framework was not intended for people who are explicitly not allowed to stay for various reasons to then be able to sit on another part of the Government Offices instead, says Kristersson to Aftonbladet.
