Today’s news / Ombudsman criticizes Debt Agency’s failure
Ombudsman Niels Fenger once again criticizes the Debt Agency for being too poor at collecting alimony from abroad. Photo: Thomas Lekfeldt/Ritzau Scanpix

Ombudsman criticizes Debt Agency’s failure

The Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman Niels Fenger has criticized the Debt Agency for not assisting citizens with the collection of alimony from abroad since 2018. In his investigation, Fenger found that the agency’s handling of these collections was fundamentally negligent towards affected families. He has informed the relevant parliamentary committees and the tax minister about his findings. The Debt Agency had previously been criticized in March last year and Fenger initiated an investigation. There are approximately 12,300 debtors abroad owing 2.6 billion DKK in child and spousal support; however, the agency has struggled to collect due to a lack of knowledge about the debtors’ addresses and the fact that they do not have incomes in Denmark. The Ombudsman emphasized the importance of efficiently conducting these collections, as they significantly impact families’ living conditions.