A member of parliament received 1.7 million kronor without attending, and another bought underwear with party funds.
In two controversial incidents in Denmark involving elected members of the Danish parliament, it was revealed that one member of parliament did not attend parliamentary sessions for more than two years while continuing to receive his full salary, while another member was involved in using party funds for personal purposes, according to what was published by local media on Thursday morning.
Parliamentary absence for more than two years with full salary
Peter Seyer Christensen, a Danish Member of Parliament and currently an independent after leaving the neo-bourgeois Nye Borgerlige party, has not been attending parliamentary work since April 4, 2023, due to health problems including stress, lymphoma, and depression, as has just been revealed. Despite his health condition, he did not submit a formal request for sick leave, preventing the elected replacement, Henriette Ergman, from filling the vacant seat, according to a report by Danish TV2.
Ergaman, formerly deputy chair of the New Bourgeois Party, told the channel that she considers the situation undemocratic and regrettable, noting that she received 1,547 votes in the 2022 parliamentary elections and deserves to assume the position should Sayir be officially absent. She added, “It is unacceptable for parliamentary representation to be disrupted for reasons that are clearly illegal or unethical.”.
How much do elected members of the Danish parliament earn per month?
According to Danish law, members of parliament receive approximately 72,800 kroner per month (of which 6,066 kroner is an allowance), or about 874,000 kroner annually, meaning that during his prolonged absence, Sayer received approximately 1.75 million kroner.
A Danish MP is absent from sessions and has not performed his duties. However, the law does not require MPs to attend sessions or take sick leave, as explained by Professor Fredrik Fagge, a constitutional law professor at the University of Southern Denmark, who described the situation as "strange but legal," according to TV2.
For his part, political scientist Roger Bock of the Danish School of Media and Journalism pointed out that such behavior would not be acceptable in local politics at the municipal or regional level, where laws are much stricter. He added, "There is no mechanism for punishment, which could create a situation of political exploitation," according to the source.
Using party funds to buy underwear and a MacBook laptop
In a separate scandal, the Danish website Frihedsbrevet revealed that Lars Böhge Mathiasen, a former member of the New Bourgeois Party, used party funds to cover personal expenses, including underwear, a suit, and tools from the hardware store "Jem & Fix," as well as a MacBook delivered to his personal address 14 months before he requested reimbursement from the party. Lars denies this.
According to an internal report sent to the party's executive council, these expenses were deemed personal, and the transfer of 35,848 kronor to Matthiassen's account was considered an administrative error. Although the party attempted to recover the money, it failed after Matthiassen was expelled following a bitter dispute over his demand for a permanent salary of 55,000 kronor per month as party leader, separate from his parliamentary salary. This led to a crisis within the party and ultimately his departure.
Professor Jürgen Allbäck Jensen, from the Faculty of Law at Aarhus University, expressed his surprise to TV2 at the nature of the purchases, saying: “It is difficult to imagine that there is anything that can be bought from Jem & Fix that can be considered to be related to political work.”.
Regarding the laptop, Lars explained that it was purchased with the aim of producing a song for the party, but according to information from the TV2 website, the song was never produced.
Politicians are capable of changing the legislation governing their party and parliamentary work if they so wish.
In light of these facts, it is worth noting that politicians in the Danish parliament are able to review the rules of procedure of parliament and amend legislation if they wish, particularly with regard to sick leave and the use of party resources, with the aim of promoting transparency and accountability in the Danish parliament and parties.
