The Courts Agency, which is responsible for all court premises in Sweden, has paid out at least SEK 45 million in rent over the past seven years, invoices that DN has seen show.
The newspaper’s information is based, among other things, on independent sources within the judiciary and the municipality, as well as a secret report from the police’s national operational department, Noa.
Criticized report
The report indicated as a source has previously been up for discussion. Among other things, it has been criticized from several quarters as it was poorly substantiated. Police researcher Stefan Holgersson has previously told SVT that there is a risk that the report singles out people who have nothing to do with crime.
Under investigation for extensive eco-crimes
The main owner of the group that rents out the district court’s premises has not been convicted of any crime, but is currently being investigated for extensive financial crime in the so-called property mess. An investigation that has been going on for almost three years and where charges are not expected until early spring.
Harald Pleijel, property director at the Norwegian Courts Administration, tells DN that the authority does not know whether the property owner is a criminal or has connections to criminal networks.
– However, we hear rumours, and it is of course troublesome for us.
He further says that the Norwegian Courts Administration tried to find other solutions for a longer period without success, something that SVT previously told about, see more in the clip below.