The Swedish Pensions Agency has undertaken a review of state pension applications and as a result, has prevented future incorrect payments totalling SEK 35m.

The review follows increased funding given to the agency to undertake control exercises to reduce irregular payments.

In a check based on more than 300 samples, the Swedish Pensions Agency examined the possible existence of a foreign pension and whether this is included in its decision on pension payments.

The samples were selected from applications for a general pension, where the person applying indicated that they do not have a pension from another country. In the control, the focus has been on people who emigrated from present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"We chose to start with this particular country as there are many immigrants to Sweden of working age, which means that we assume they could have a pension from their home country,” Swedish Pensions Agency head of production department, Magnus Rodin, said.

The verification shows that more than one in two samples, 167 out of 316 cases, contained decisions taken on the wrong basis. The check has led to the recovery of SEK 4.4m in incorrect payments and has prevented SEK 34.3m in future incorrect payments.

Controls are now being extended to review pension applications that are suspected to be incorrect where the focus is on other countries.

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