A government official has been indicted at Stockholm District Court for gross unauthorized handling of secret information, according to the Swedish Prosecution Authority. Senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist stated that the information had very high protective value and that the accused man unauthorizedly took home and kept documents with secret information in his residence and summer house. The investigation shows that the document contains secret information whose disclosure could harm Sweden's security if revealed to a foreign power. The man is suspected of having unauthorizedly handled information concerning Sweden's security, and the information concerned matters of great importance for the defense of the realm, according to the Swedish Prosecution Authority. The Security Service conducted the preliminary investigation under the direction of a prosecutor from the National Unit for Security Cases, according to official sources. The case number at Stockholm District Court is B 9299-25, according to official sources.
The diplomat denies the charges in interrogations, according to major media reports. According to Aftonbladet, the diplomat's lawyer, Thomas Olsson, described the accusations as completely groundless. Olsson noted that the diplomat has worked for decades at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and handled tens of thousands of documents over the years. According to Aftonbladet, Olsson described the original suspicion that led to the intervention as having been dropped, and said that using the security police and legal system to monitor compliance with internal document handling rules is surreal. He said he looks forward to the trial with great confidence and that the claim of unauthorized handling is completely unfounded, according to Aftonbladet.
The diplomat views the accusations as completely groundless.
In a separate case, Sweden has charged a 47-year-old man with spying for Russia, according to multiple research sources. The suspect worked as a consultant at several Swedish companies where he illegally obtained and sold information, according to prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist. The man was apprehended while meeting a Russian diplomat and had just received 27,800 Swedish crowns ($3,360) from the diplomat, according to Ljungqvist. The suspect could expect a lengthy sentence if convicted; the maximum penalty for espionage in Sweden is six years, according to Ljungqvist. The preliminary investigation indicates the suspect has assisted the Russian intelligence service, according to Ljungqvist. The man worked as an IT consultant for the Swedish military from 2018 to 2022, according to a spokesman for the military. In 2024, the man started a company specializing in cybersecurity, focusing on offensive cyber operations, according to public records. The investigation concerns very serious criminality directed against Sweden's intelligence and security system, according to chief public prosecutor Per Lindqvist. A major part of the information in the indictment is confidential, according to multiple research sources.
The alleged crimes are believed to have taken place between January 1, 2025 and January 4, 2026, according to court documents. However, this date range appears to be in the future, suggesting a possible error or different case. The Stockholm district court remanded a 33-year-old Swede in custody on suspicion of espionage, according to multiple research sources, creating an age discrepancy with the 47-year-old suspect. The indicted men have been detained since September and November 2021 respectively, according to multiple research sources. This creates a contradiction: if the crimes occurred in 2025-2026, the suspects could not have been detained since 2021. Sweden's domestic security agency's counter-espionage unit head, Daniel Stenling, said attacks on Sweden from other countries have broadened and deepened in recent years. Germany, Poland and Sweden expelled an employee of Russia's embassy in each country on February 8 as a coordinated tit-for-tat response, according to multiple research sources.
The diplomat has worked for decades at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and handled tens of thousands of documents over the years.
According to www.thelocal.se, the suspect's lawyer, Hanna Lindblom, described her client as denying any involvement in espionage. The man was also suspected of having disclosed secret information by handing it over to a former politician in Gävle, according to the Swedish Prosecution Authority. However, the prosecutor decided to drop the preliminary investigation regarding that suspicion because it could not be proven when or how the document was disclosed to the politician, according to the Swedish Prosecution Authority. According to Säpo's preliminary investigation, as reported by major media, the diplomat handled the documents without intent to pass them to a foreign power. The documents were found in a chest in the summer house and in a pile of papers in the apartment, according to preliminary investigation materials reported by major media.
Several unknowns remain. The identity of the indicted diplomat has not been disclosed. The specific secret information involved in the diplomat case has not been made public. It is unclear whether the diplomat case and the espionage case are related or separate. The correct age and timeline for the espionage suspect are uncertain due to conflicting reports. The number of suspects actually indicted in the espionage case is also unclear, with some sources referring to multiple indicted men while others mention only one suspect.
The original suspicion that led to the intervention has been dropped, and using the security police and legal system to monitor compliance with internal document handling rules is surreal.
He looks forward to the trial with great confidence and the claim of unauthorized handling is completely unfounded.
Attacks on Sweden from other countries have broadened and deepened in recent years.
Her client denied any involvement in espionage.