The evidence consists of an hour-long audio recording from Region Skåne’s price negotiation with Vårdinnovation on August 23, 2018. The audio file was found in one of CEO Damon Tojjar’s mobile phones after a new forensic investigation of previous seizures.
From a transcript of the audio file, which SVT has seen, it appears that one of the indicted officials is negotiating prices with Vårdinnovation’s CEO about the Vårdexpressen IT tool. The same official has secretly chatted with the CEO and given tips and advice before the negotiation.
A few minutes before the official enters the negotiation room, he writes to the CEO: “Max 700,000 per health center and year and max 50 million kroner for the entire region. Doable?”
After the negotiation, the official writes again to the CEO: “You were brilliant today! Or… Fantastic”.
“Abused his position of trust”
The accused official’s lawyer, Conny Cedermark, has always argued that his client cannot be convicted of infidelity to the principal. Cedermark believes that the law requires that a person in such a case must have had financial responsibility towards his principal, in this case Region Skåne, which he believes the official never had.
The prosecutor believes, on the contrary, that the audio file proves that the official abused his position of trust.
– I consider the new evidence to be very strong. It establishes even more the official’s financial involvement in the procurement, says Thomas Forsberg, chamber prosecutor at the National Anti-Corruption Unit, to SVT Nyheter Skåne on Tuesday.
“We have a different opinion than the prosecutor both in terms of the law and in terms of what has happened. We have good hopes for an acquittal”, writes lawyer Conny Cedermark, in an email to SVT.
SVT Nyheter Nyheter Skåne has also sought Damon Tojjar’s defense lawyer for a comment.
The audio file is played in court
Before the last court date, Damon Tojjar’s lawyer submitted a large number of documents. Among other things, a previously unknown board minutes from 2019, where the board rejects the proposal from one of the officials to get employment and share ownership in Vårdinnovation.
On Tuesday, Damon Tojjar’s defense attorney continued his case. The defense did not finish during the half day as planned, but will continue again on January 20. Then the prosecutor’s new evidence will also be played in court.
Vårdinnovation’s former CEO and two officials from Region Skåne were sentenced last year by the district court to between three and four years in prison for suspected bribery and disloyalty to the principal. The judgments were appealed.
The three defendants have all along denied any wrongdoing.
