The diplomat arrested in May 2025 was also under suspicion for passing classified documents to a former politician from the central Swedish town of Gävle.
Prosecutors announced on Friday that a senior Swedish diplomat, who held the position of special envoy to Syria, faces charges related to the unauthorised possession of classified materials that could have compromised Sweden’s national security if accessed by a foreign entity.
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«These are highly classified documents that the accused unlawfully took home and retained, keeping them at both his main residence and holiday property,» stated prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist.
The diplomat had authorised access to the sensitive data as part of his official duties, yet he removed the documents without approval and kept them for personal possession.»
According to the indictment, «sharing this information with a foreign power could pose a threat to Sweden’s security.»
Nonetheless, the diplomat is said to have acted «without any intention to benefit a foreign power,» the statement added.
The diplomat, detained in May 2025, was also investigated for allegedly sharing classified documents with a former politician from Gävle; however, the prosecutors have shut down this case citing insufficient evidence, Ljungqvist reported.
Sweden’s security agency, Sapo, conducted searches at the diplomat’s two residences in May of the previous year.
Disguised as construction workers, officers raided his home early in the morning, resulting in the arrest of him and another individual; the latter is no longer under suspicion.
The detentions coincided with another incident when Joachim Bergstrom, also a diplomat, was arrested on espionage suspicions during a separate security operation.
Masked officers entered Bergstrom’s apartment and apprehended him while he was still in his pajamas.
Within two days after release from custody—though still considered a suspect—Bergstrom took his own life.
Thomas Olsson, the attorney representing the diplomat charged on Friday, told AFP that his client «denies all allegations and insists that the accusations lack any foundation.»
«He has served in the foreign service for decades and managed tens of thousands of documents, including these,» Olsson added.
Whether his client was permitted to keep the documents at his residences falls under the foreign ministry’s internal regulations, the lawyer stated.
«Non-compliance with internal protocols generally results in disciplinary action, not an operation involving the Security Service,» he concluded.
Additional sources • AFP