The Dalregmentet is one of Sweden’s most prestigious and oldest landscape regiments. The premises and properties are owned by the struggling property company SBB, which is now trying to sell its property holdings.
Today, there are few rules governing who may own Swedish safety-classified buildings. A Hong Kong-Chinese billionaire has been mentioned among the interested parties.
Sensitive information risks ending up in foreign hands
Kåpan’s real estate company recently bought a large part of SBB’s state properties. Cecilia Westin has a background in government special properties that own and manage sensitive buildings such as prisons and courts.
According to Cecila Vestin, there are many aspects of security-classified buildings that prevent anyone from owning them.
Documentation, drawings, IT procurement, cleaning staff and electricity consumption are information that is sensitive. A high electricity consumption can be a sign of activities that are important for Swedish security.
– If you want to influence Sweden and shut down such a business, it is important that such documentation does not get out, says Cecilia Vestin.
Want the government to act
According to the government, there are currently no plans to intervene if sensitive buildings risk being sold to unsuitable foreign buyers. According to Cecilia Westin, the government should act. Otherwise, there is a risk that, for example, military buildings such as the Dalregementet could end up with, for example, Russian or Chinese owners.
– We really welcome that you raise this issue and take it where it needs to be – at government level. It has been and still is an unregulated market. It has been very easy to acquire these properties. The market is not really capable of managing it here, directives are probably needed, says Cecilia Vestin.