Hashim Mohamed Jama, a regional politician for the Left Party in Stockholm, was recently convicted of benefit fraud after tricking authorities into paying him over 10,000 kronor in parental benefits to which he was not entitled. This is not the first time he has been convicted of a crime. And now he has his eyes set on being elected to parliament in next year’s election.
Hashim Mohamed Jama is a member of the Stockholm Regional Council for the Left Party. In parallel with this assignment, he is an alternate in the Stockholm City Council. He also has a position in the region’s Property Committee.
The 40-year-old politician is also a Muslim, something he often emphasizes in his social media posts, and he was born in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. He acts as a vote magnet for the party among the multiethnic electorate in Stockholm’s western suburbs.
Convicted of Benefit Fraud
In May 2014, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency receives an anonymous tip. It concerns Hashim Mohamed Jama having, on several occasions, reported the care of a sick child, thereby collecting parental benefits, even though he was working at the time. In this way, he defrauded the system for benefits he was not entitled to.
The Social Insurance Agency assigns an investigator to follow up on the tip. A check with his employer and the supposedly sick child’s school reveals that he requested money for a total of 20 days even though the child was in school those days. This amounts to nearly 20,000 kronor that he unlawfully received.
When Mohamed Jama is questioned by the police, he denies any wrongdoing.
– There must have just been a mistake with the dates, he says.
An explanation that the Solna District Court did not believe. At the end of October this year, the left-wing regional politician was unanimously sentenced by the court to a suspended sentence and 40 day fines for three normal-grade benefit frauds, as well as two minor benefit fraud offenses. He is also ordered to pay one thousand kronor to the crime victim fund.
The sentence becomes legally binding in mid-November.
Stole from Group Home
This is not the first time Hashim Mohamed Jama has been convicted of a crime. In November 2010, he was convicted of minor drug offenses. According to the indictment, he had used both cannabis and cocaine.
In the spring of 2016, a group home (HVB home) reports to the police that a total of 20,000 kronor had been unlawfully withdrawn using one of the facility’s bank cards. The manager is shown surveillance footage from the ATM where the money was withdrawn and she “recognizes Jama by his walking style, height, and stomach.” Mohamed Jama was working at the facility at the time.
Hashim Mohamed Jama denies the crime but is convicted for two counts of fraud. The verdict states: “all things considered, the court finds beyond all reasonable doubt that it was Hashim Mohamed Jama who, using the card and code, unlawfully withdrew money with a bank card belonging to his employer.”
The penalty is a suspended sentence and 60 day fines.
In January 2022, Hashim Mohamed Jama is once again convicted of a crime, this time for driving without a license. The penalty is 30 day fines.
Aiming for Parliament
Hashim Mohamed Jama has had a notoriously hard time staying on the right side of the law. And starting next autumn, he may get the chance to change Sweden’s laws himself.
The Left Party Tensta-Rinkeby-Spånga has in fact nominated Mohamed Jama for its parliamentary list. The nomination was announced shortly before he was convicted of benefit fraud.
“I am so happy and proud to have been nominated as a candidate for the municipal and parliamentary elections for the Left Party,” he wrote on Instagram in connection with the nomination, and added:
“For me, politics is about everyday life—a fair school, reliable healthcare, and a society where we take care of both people and the environment. The Left Party stands for solidarity, justice, and a welfare state without profit interests, and that’s where I feel at home.”
Samnytt has tried to contact Hashim Mohamed Jama. He has not responded.