Published 4 April 2023 at 15.47
Media. The legal rounds surrounding Sveriges Radio's financial expert Patrick Siegbahn and his company Småspararguiden continue. After the high-profile verdict for misleading marketing two weeks ago, the company is now being reported to the police for fraud, Fria Tider learns.
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Siegbahn and his advice site Småspararguiden have been reported to the police by a private person who claims to have been defrauded of money through an online fundraiser.
In its announcement of the collection, which is still ongoing, Småspararguiden writes that they “urgently” need money to pay Kapitalgruppen, which is the competitor that won the case in which Småspararguiden was convicted of misleading marketing.
“The urgent problem precisely now is that we need to pay SEK 423,000 of the Capital Group's legal costs. Our money has run out and we are therefore asking for help from all of you who want us to remain,” it says, among other things.
But that is not true . Already on March 21, Småspararguiden had paid the money and “put this behind us”, the company itself wrote in a Facebook post on March 21.
A private individual who discovered the Facebook post after first donating money to the fundraiser himself has now reported the site to the police for fraud.
“As of at least March 21, 2023, the purpose of the fundraiser cannot possibly be what is claimed,” it says. including in the notification.
Fria Tider has searched for Patrick Siegbahn without success. However, Småspararguiden's CEO Andreas Runnemo confirms that the payment already took place two weeks ago, even though the collection for the “urgent” payment is still ongoing.
– We have simply taken internal loans and entered with private money, Runnemo explains to Fria Tider.
He also confirms that the purpose of the collection was not to be able to pay any court costs, but to pay back loans to themselves privately.
– Now we have been able to pay that too , says Andreas Runnemo.
The site Småspararguiden has been a media success since it was founded by the “financial rebel” Patrick Siegbahn, previously active for the Feminist Initiative, and the trans activist Andreas Runnemo in 2015.
Siegbahn has had a standing role as a financial expert on Sveriges Radio and on his site Småspararguiden, he has done several tough journalistic reviews of his competitors in the financial industry.
The scheme has often been that he reviewed and warned his competitors while also recommending himself, which is basically not allowed according to the Marketing Act.
On March 9, 2023, Småspararguiden was therefore convicted by the Patent and Market Court for improper advertising after defaming the competitor Kapitalgruppen and at the same time recommending themselves in a text designed to look like a journalistic article.
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The court found that Småspararguiden misled its readers and discredited a competitor and sentenced Småspararguiden to pay SEK 423,000.
After the verdict in the Patent and Market Court, Patrick Siegbahn has announced on Facebook that he will no longer participate in Sweden's Radio.