Swedish ex-national security adviser fined for leaving classified documents unlocked
A Swedish appeals court found former national security adviser Henrik Landerholm guilty of gross negligence and fined him 52,000 kronor ($5,250).
Swedish appeals court convicts ex-security adviser over unsecured classified files
A Swedish appeals court on Monday found former national security adviser Henrik Landerholm guilty of gross negligence after he left classified documents unlocked in a Stockholm hotel room, reuters.com reports. The Svea Court of Appeal overturned a lower court's acquittal and handed Landerholm a fine of 52,000 kronor, equivalent to approximately $5,250.
The documents were left unsecured in a locker in his hotel room in March 2023. Prosecutors had argued the incident jeopardised state security. Landerholm resigned from his position in January 2025 following the scandal.
In its verdict, the court stated that high standards must be imposed on anyone handling documents containing sensitive information on national security. "Considering, among other things, his position as national security adviser and his long experience in high-level government posts — which, according to him, has given him extensive practice in handling classified information — the Court of Appeal finds that he has been grossly negligent," the ruling read.
Landerholm's lawyers had contended that the information in question would not have been harmful to national security had it come to light. In a post on X, Landerholm described the verdict as "of course a disappointment," adding that he and his lawyer would carefully analyse the ruling before deciding how to proceed.
The hotel incident was not the only security lapse to emerge after the affair became public. Swedish media revealed that Landerholm had forgotten his mobile phone at the Hungarian embassy in December 2022, shortly after his appointment as adviser. He also left a notebook behind following a media interview in January 2023.
The 63-year-old has held a series of senior roles throughout his career, including ambassador, director of Sweden's Psychological Defence Agency, principal of the Swedish Defence University, and chairman of parliament's defence committee. His 2022 appointment as national security adviser had already drawn scrutiny due to his longstanding friendship with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)