Swedish Democrat MP resigning over child pornography investigation eligible for €70,000 severance

A Swedish Democrat member of parliament who resigned this week amid an investigation into suspected child pornography offences could receive over 830,000 Swedish kronor (€70,000) in severance pay, according to parliamentary rules reported by SVT.

The lawmaker, who held senior party positions, formally stepped down on Tuesday after SVT revealed the investigation on Monday. The resignation was approved by the chamber on Wednesday.

Under Sweden’s parliamentary transition support scheme, the former MP is entitled to 85 percent of their annual salary for up to one year—amounting to just over 830,000 kronor. Had the lawmaker remained in office for three more weeks, they would have qualified for two years of support, doubling the payout to 1.6 million kronor (€136,000).

The rules also allow for severance to be revoked if a former MP is convicted of a serious offence that would likely have led to their expulsion had they still been in parliament.