*Can a housing association be looted from within without judicial intervention? Kalla Fakta's investigation (spring 2026) into the "BRF scandal" in Mälardalen has exposed a frightening vulnerability in the Swedish system. When entrepreneurs take control of newly formed associations, members' life savings risk going up in smoke - while preliminary investigations are dropped on the grounds that the crimes are "difficult to investigate"
Background: Systematic looting of associations
The investigation shows how two contractors, through so-called "construction boards", have taken total control of housing associations in Upplands-Bro and elsewhere. In Brf Säbyholm's mansion, this resulted in the association being indebted by over SEK 14 million through unsecured loans that were neither reported nor repaid.
The methods described are as ruthless as they are systematic:
