A preliminary investigation against the man, who is in his 40s, was initiated at the Security Police already at the beginning of 2017. In 2018, the man worked at the Swedish Food Agency in Uppsala and then Säpo informed his boss, director general Annica Sohlström, that her employee was the subject of a criminal investigation by them. At the same time, she was covered with a so-called yipping ban.
What did Säpo want you to do?
– They informed that the preliminary investigation would continue but that we would continue as usual. So I was required not to make any changes in terms of duties for this person, says Annica Sohlström, Director General, Norwegian Food Agency.
Over the years, several interrogations and conversations with Säpo followed.
From the investigation that is now the basis for the indictment against the man, it appears that Säpo’s investigation of the man also included several secret checks at his office.
A locksmith was called in
In the summer of 2018, staff from Säpo will be allowed into the Swedish Food Agency at 10 p.m. in the evening. They are accompanied by a locksmith.
The mission is to search his desk, cabinets and drawers – to document and copy all the contents of his computer and other storage media. It was closer to 03 in the morning when Säpo left.
Two days later you are back – at the same late hour and redo the procedure when it turns out that you previously examined the wrong desk and cabinet.
Three months later, in October 2018, the procedure is repeated. This time, too, two nocturnal visits are made in close succession to the Swedish Food Agency with the aim of searching the suspect’s workplace – and to copy the contents onto a computer and other storage media, to carry out so-called “mirroring”.
A house search was also carried out at the Swedish Food Agency in autumn 2021, after the man was arrested. Then a laptop, phone and several USB sticks were seized from a locked cabinet in the basement that the man had.
According to the man’s defense lawyer, the man denies that he did anything wrong and denies any crime.
– My client denies everything that is put against him. He disputes that he would have done anything wrong at all, says Anton Strand to SVT.