Published 2023-10-18 23.17
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A former top Swedish military officer is under arrest on suspicion of gross unauthorized position with secret information, Expressen reports. The man was arrested together with his wife on Tuesday.
The couple, who are both under arrest, were arrested at dawn in the Stockholm area in connection with an operation by the Security Police.
The man has held several key positions within the Armed Forces both in Sweden and abroad, writes Expressen. Periodically, he has worked in connection with the military intelligence service Must. Today he works in another authority.
The woman also has a sensitive position at an authority, according to a source for Expressen.
Chamber prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist does not want to comment on the case for the newspaper.
– That’s the lid on it. We do not confirm anything. The matter is sensitive, he says.
Säpo has made a large amount of seizures in the couple’s home and at least one other address, Expressen writes. Among other things, it concerns mobile phones and computers. The house search has also been carried out at the suspects’ workplaces.
– I cannot make any comments on the matter. There is a ban on smacking, says lawyer Thomas Olsson, who represents one of the people, to the newspaper.
The crime of unauthorized position with secret information is classified as a crime against national security.
FACTS Offense against the security of the kingdom
The crimes of espionage and unauthorized position with a secret mission fall under what is known as a crime against Sweden’s security.
If there is no intention to help a foreign power, the crime is unauthorized position with a secret mission.
The penalty scale for unauthorized occupation of the normal grade ranges from fines to imprisonment for a maximum of two years. For serious crimes, the maximum sentence is four years.
You can also be sentenced for negligence with secret information, if the crime has been committed through gross negligence.
Espionage, according to the law, is the intentional transfer, transmission or disclosure of secrets – such as defense matters – to a foreign power.
The penalty for espionage of the normal degree is a maximum of six years in prison, while aggravated espionage carries a prison term of between four and eighteen years or life.
Source: Paragraphs 5–9, Chapter 9 of the Criminal Code, Swedish Constitution
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