Claims the Swedish government has a hidden agenda with ailing Saab have been hotly disputed by the administration, which insists it is “working every day” to find a solution to rescue the automaker.
Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov’s Russian’s holding company director Lars Carlstrom’s comments’ about a hidden agenda attributed to him in Swedish daily Aftenbladet, have been fiercely rejected by the government.
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The Swedish Enterprise Ministry strongly refuted the comments as “totally wrong,” adding it was working flat out to solve the Saab crisis.
“We have read the comments – we can’t really make any comment as they are totally wrong and built on no facts or reality,” an Enterprise Ministry spokeswoman in Stockholm told just-auto. “The Swedish government has been – and still is – working every day .
“All our engagement in Saab is for a positive solution and anyone who says anything else has not got the true picture.”
Carlstrom also maintains the Swedish government is influencing the European Investment Bank (EIB) which must approve any change in ownership status.
“Why is it so complicated with the EIB? – why can we not fix things with the property and get Antonov approved,” Carlstrom told just-auto from Sweden. “There is something very, very wrong here.
“The Swedish government is saying we are not willing to take any decision, it is the EIB to take the decision. The Swedish government is using its influence over the EIB. It has been quite clear they [government] have no interest at all to save Saab, no intention to save Saab.”
Antonov’s offer is to buy Saab properties – valued at around SEK1bn (US$153m) – while at the same time he has expressed the wish to become a shareholder by purchasing 29.9% of Spyker shares. Despite approval of the properties deal from the Swedish National Debt Office, no information has so far been forthcoming from the EIB.
A spokesman for the EIB in Luxembourg told just-auto no news would be forthcoming today, but that: “We might have an update in the next few days.
“We are reading more or less everything – we keep track of what is going on while we have no comment on what individuals are saying.”
