Former deputy national police chief Mats Löfving has been served with suspicion and heard about gross misconduct in connection with the appointment of Linda Staaf as head of intelligence at the police’s National Operative Department (Noa).
Löfving is also suspected of misconduct in a decision on the allocation of service weapons in 2020. He denies both crimes.
Linda Staaf is also questioned about the events. In addition, a number of witnesses have been questioned, the Public Prosecutor’s Office writes in a press release.
– I will not comment further on what was said or the state of evidence in the preliminary investigation, says Deputy Chief Prosecutor Bengt Åsbäck.
The reason for the tangle is data, which was revealed by The Expressthat Staaf had a relationship with the former Noa chief, and then deputy national police chief, Mats Löfving, who hired her in 2015.
Broke the silence
Mats Löfving was reassigned from his position as regional police chief in December. He then commented on the investigation against him:
“I became a police officer and then police chief in order to fulfill the police’s fine mission of providing tangible benefits to citizens. It has not been possible recently due to the great attention on, among other things, me as a person, where the degree of recognition has also been limited. Therefore, it is good that a preliminary investigation is started so that everyone gets the answers that are requested. After a conversation with the national police chief, I step aside during the ongoing investigation. It is of the utmost importance that the employees have peace of mind in order to be able to focus on our important mission”.