Anna Kinberg Batra, the county governor of Stockholm, is under scrutiny for hiring two friends for top positions at the County Administrative Board without proper job announcements or competitive hiring processes.

Internal emails reveal Kinberg Batra personally pushed for the hiring of Gunnar Ekman, a management consultant, for a temporary position with a monthly salary of 90,000 kronor, bypassing standard recruitment procedures.

Despite directives for budget cuts and a requirement for all hires to be vetted by a preparatory group, Ekman's employment was not subjected to this process, drawing criticism from the Saco-S union.

The lack of transparency and procedural bypass in these hires has raised concerns about favoritism and the integrity of public sector appointments.