A Swedish resident was charged with spying for Russia, Reuters reports, citing the country’s prosecutor’s office.
According to preliminary data, the 47-year-old citizen allegedly transferred some information to an employee of the Russian embassy and received about three thousand dollars for this. According to the current law, he faces up to six years in prison for espionage. The Swede himself does not admit his guilt.
The prosecutor’s statement says that the man, whose identity is not specified, worked in several Swedish companies and sold confidential data, which he obtained access to illegally. It is noted that the man’s actions threatened the security of the state. “I affirm that, while working as a consultant in his former positions, he collected material for transfer to a foreign power, in this case Russia. The fact that he was well paid for it shows how the Russians appreciated his information,” said prosecutor Mats Jungkvist (Mats Ljungqvist).
As TASS specifies, the former consultant Volvo Cars and Scania accused of espionage was detained in February 2019 during a meeting with an employee of the Russian embassy. With his diplomatic status, the latter was able to leave without difficulty. It is noted that during the arrest, the 47-year-old Swede was found to have about 28 thousand crowns (about three thousand dollars or 253 thousand rubles at the current exchange rate).