A dispute has erupted in Sweden's parliamentary constitutional committee (KU) over resuming the probe into the Landerholm affair. Social Democrats accuse the Tidö parties of shielding Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, while government representatives dismiss it as political maneuvering. The issue concerns former security advisor Henrik Landerholm and an ongoing legal case.
The conflict in the constitutional committee (KU) concerns the review of events surrounding Henrik Landerholm, former national security advisor. The issue arose in KU this spring but was paused when Landerholm was charged with carelessness regarding secret information. He was acquitted in district court, but the prosecutor has appealed, and the court of appeal hearings are not expected until after next year's election.
The Social Democrats want KU to allow officials to gather material to scrutinize Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's actions. KU chair Jennie Nilsson (S) calls the Tidö parties' opposition remarkable. "They refuse the opposition access to material for decisions, which in my book is remarkable and incomprehensible. It should be in their interest too," she says. Nilsson stresses that the review can resume before the election due to significant public interest and cites previous instances where KU investigated alongside other bodies. "The government parties and the Sweden Democrats are very keen that Ulf Kristersson not be scrutinized," she adds. In another comment, she describes the blockage as a cover-up: "It feels like they're transferring the entire cover-up process to parliament and the committee."
The Tidö parties oppose resuming the review now, citing the ongoing legal process. KU vice chair Mats Green (M) comments in writing: "This is desperate action by the Social Democrats and Magdalena Andersson. We cannot have a system where KU changes principles just because the Social Democrats now want to make political games out of legal processes." He promises the review will resume once there is a final verdict.