Henrik Landerholm Cleared of Charges After Security Lapse

Former national security advisor Henrik Landerholm was charged after forgetting classified documents at a course center. Now, Henrik Landerholm has been acquitted.

In late January this year, Henrik Landerholm left his position as national security advisor, having been involved in several security incidents.

The forgotten documents in an unlocked cabinet at Gällöfsta course center led to Landerholm being charged with negligence involving secret information. Now, he has been acquitted by a unanimous Attunda District Court, which found that he was not 'grossly negligent'—a requirement for conviction.

Lennart Christianson highlights two circumstances as decisive.

• One is how the negligence manifested. It was not a conscious risk-taking but rather carelessness in not taking the documents with him, he says.

The Verdict: Classified Documents

The other issue is that Landerholm must have understood the documents were of a secret nature, but he had no reason to believe they belonged to the highest security classifications.

The verdict states that it would 'harm Sweden's security' if other countries obtained the documents. However, Lennart Christianson cannot specify their security classification.

The verdict also notes that Gällöfsta course center has a routine of not accessing guests' documents, reducing the risk of the documents falling into foreign hands.

• At the same time, one cannot ignore the risk that someone might target individuals with highly secret information, says Lennart Christianson.

Always Denied the Crime

Henrik Landerholm's lawyer, Johan Eriksson, welcomes the verdict.

• It is naturally relieving to be acquitted, especially given all the attention. He has been under considerable pressure for a long time, he says.

Landerholm himself writes on X that he is relieved by the court's acquittal.

"The verdict vindicates me and my former employer, the Government Offices, in the assessment that the Gällöfsta incident did not constitute a crime," he writes.

Chief prosecutor Per Lindqvist says the court followed the prosecution's line in all aspects except the crucial question of the degree of negligence.

• Upon first reading, we are not entirely convinced that the court's conclusion is correct, so much suggests that the verdict will be appealed, he says.

If the verdict is not appealed, former defense minister Peter Hultqvist (S) believes the law must be reviewed.

• It cannot be that one is so grossly negligent with secret documents and then gets away with it, he tells TT, adding:

• If this is the level for penalties and analyses in court, then the law should be tightened and revised.

KU Investigation May Resume

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was reported to the Constitutional Committee in connection with the 'Landerholm affair.' The investigation was paused during the trial against Henrik Landerholm.

Now it will resume—unless the prosecutor appeals.

• We will simply see if there is a potential appeal and what reasons it contains, and whether a continued legal process addresses the type of questions we believe would conflict.

The committee has a meeting on September 11 and will then make a decision.

In addition to the forgotten papers, DN revealed in December last year that Henrik Landerholm also forgot his phone at the Hungarian embassy at the end of 2022 and left a notebook at Swedish Radio after an interview in early 2023.