A mysterious case regarding the citizenship status of four people is making its way through the Danish media.
Jyllands-Posten reported on Wednesday that the Ministry of Immigration and Integration does not know how four individuals with Danish citizenship received their citizenship.
Of the four, two have been charged with reckless driving, a third allegedly tried to drive a van into police during a car chase, and the fourth is a child from a prominent crime family.
The confusion came to light in a written answer from Minister of Immigration and Integration Morten Bødskov of the Social Democrats (Socialdemokratiet) to Folketinget, the Danish Parliament, and has drawn strong reactions from opposition politicians.
Case comes to light
The issue came to light after a series of questions from Folketinget to the minister.
The question about the child was asked because of his mother’s criminality. The minister responded that the child was a Danish citizen, but that the ministry “cannot elaborate further on the citizenship status of the child in question.”
The status of the three other individuals was questioned because they had been charged with reckless driving or with attempting to drive into the police.
In all three cases, the minister responded “that the person in question is registered in the Central Person Register (CPR) as a Danish citizen as of 23 September 1991, with an uncertainty marking regarding the date of registration.”
23 September 1991 was the day the CPR registry was moved from one system to another.
Criticism from the opposition
These answers drew significant criticism from opposition parties, which called Bødskov to a consultation in the Immigration and Integration Committee on Wednesday.
Mikkel Bjørn, immigration spokesperson for the Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti), told Jyllands-Posten: “Of course we need to clarify whether they have even obtained citizenship at all. Something suggests that they may not have it.
“If we cannot establish whether they actually hold citizenship, we cannot deport them. That simply cannot be right, and I cannot understand why the Social Democrats are not more intent on getting to the bottom of the matter.”
Cannot provide further information
Ahead of Wednesday’s consultation, Bødskov had told Folketinget that he was not able to investigate further the cases of the three individuals charged with criminal offences.
However, in an answer to Jyllands-Posten, he said the ministry would investigate the cases further.
This also drew criticism from opposition parties. Bjørn told the newspaper: “It is, to put it mildly, highly reprehensible that the minister and the ministry tell us in the Folketing that it cannot be done, yet tell the media that it can be done.”
Called to consultation
In the consultation, the minister clarified that it was indeed possible for the ministry to investigate the cases of the three charged individuals further.
However, he also said they had chosen not to do so.
He added that there was no reason to question the legitimacy of their citizenship status, noting that “we have nothing to indicate that it has been incorrectly registered.”
Bødskov would not comment on the fourth case, involving the child from the crime family, because of its confidential nature.
Not the end of the case
Mikkel Bjørn and independent MP Nadja Natalie Isaksen have made clear they are not finished looking into the case and will ask further parliamentary questions.