Action to be Taken Against Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies: Minister of Justice Ordered!

Swedish Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer has instructed the police and tax authorities to increase confiscation operations of Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrencies obtained through crime.

Sweden is preparing to further tighten its stance against crimes committed through cryptocurrencies. The country's Minister of Justice, Gunnar Strömmer, has called on the police, tax authorities, and enforcement agencies to increase their activities regarding the confiscation of illegal income, particularly cryptocurrencies. The legal regulation that came into effect in November 2024 grants authorities the power to seize assets whose source cannot be clearly explained without proof of a crime.

According to the new law, if individuals cannot satisfactorily explain the source of the Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in their possession, authorities will be able to directly seize these assets. Strömmer emphasized the need to focus more on digital assets that yield significant profits, stating, "Now is the time to increase the pressure even further."

Sweden's decision is considered one of the strictest confiscation regulations in Europe. To date, assets worth approximately 80 million Swedish Krona (8.4 million dollars) have been confiscated under the law.

Will Sweden establish a Bitcoin reserve?

These tough measures coincide with calls from some members of parliament in Sweden for the establishment of a strategic Bitcoin (BTC) reserve within the country's central bank, Riksbank.

Dioukarev, in a statement regarding the issue, said, "I support the confiscation of cryptocurrencies obtained through criminal activities."

Last year, reports from police and financial intelligence units in Sweden also pointed out that some cryptocurrency exchanges were engaged in professional money laundering activities.