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RED CROSS

Swedish Red Cross suffers member exodus

The Swedish Red Cross lost 44,000 members in 2010, equating to every fifth, according to a report from Sveriges Radio's Ekot news programme.

Swedish Red Cross suffers member exodus

The membership exodus is explained by widespread criticism over high salaries and a high profile fraud scandal.

“It is a very large decline. It certainly shows a dissatisfaction, but this issue of fraud is quite common in organisations. But many many elect not to call in the police. I am very proud of the fact that the Red Cross did call the police,” said Red Cross press secretary Karin Tengby to Ekot.

By the end of 2010, the Red Cross had 188,295 members. At the same time its donations climbed from 236 million kronor ($39 million) to 299 million kronor in 2010.

Swedish Red Cross secretary-general Ulrika Årehed Kågström, pointed out that costs for fund-raising, memberships and administration declined from 13 percent in 2009 to 9 percent in 2010.

Part of the organisation’s work to regain the trust of the electorate has been to launch a drive for efficiency.

“The major changes which we have completed over the past year are starting to come to fruition,” she said in a statement.

Årehed Kågström meanwhile conceded that the process will take time.

“We are conscious that we have to work hard and for a long time to regain the trust and find new forums for people to channel their commitment,” she said.

The Svea Court of Appeal on Monday rejected an appeal by former Swedish Red Cross communications chief, Johan af Donner, against a conviction for defrauding the organisation out of millions of kronor.

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HEALTH

Spain’s ‘2,000-tumour man’ sentenced for scamming donors

A Spaniard known as "the man with 2,000 tumours" who lied about having terminal cancer was handed a two-year jail term Monday for scamming donations from thousands, including celebrities.

Spain's '2,000-tumour man' sentenced for scamming donors
De Cedecejj - Trabajo propio, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99402644

Paco Sanz, 50, appeared regularly on television and social media between 2010 and 2017, claiming to have nearly 2,000 tumours as a result of Cowden syndrome.

Saying he had only months to live, he appealed for donations via his web page, through text messages and even a charity gala.   

Although he did suffer from the syndrome, all his tumours were benign and posed no threat to his life.

Prosecutors say the former security guard collected just under €265,000 ($319,000) before being arrested in March 2017 in the eastern Valencia region.   

Among those who sent him money were popular television presenter Jorge Javier Vazquez and Spanish footballer Alvaro Negredo.    

Prosecutors accused Sanz of “taking advantage of his illness” to “obtain illegal funding”.

They said he presented the disease as being “much more serious than it really was” and of falsely claiming he could only be saved if he got experimental treatment in the United States.   

In reality, he travelled to the US to take part in a free clinical trial and “all his costs were covered” by the firm running it, prosecutors added.    

In video obtained by Spanish media at the time of his arrest, Sanz could be seen joking with his girlfriend and family members about the lies he was telling.

As his trial opened in Madrid on Monday, Sanz pleaded guilty to fraud, receiving a two-year jail sentence, while his girlfriend was sentenced to a year and nine months for being his accomplice.

But they are not likely to serve time behind bars, as sentences below two years are usually suspended in Spain for first-time offenders convicted of non-violent crimes.

The trial will continue so the court can determine how much money the pair owe in damages.

READ ALSO: Fraudster parents of sick girl jailed for charity scam

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