A story of incompetence and an improper relationship in the highest ranks of the police is unfolding in Sweden. Numerous media outlets report that one of the nation’s top law enforcement officers appointed his mistress to head the police intelligence unit, despite her not being qualified for the job.
The allegations are of such a nature that the national special prosecutorial office has opened an investigation into the matter. According to Samnytt.se, the investigation is focused on Ms. Linda Staaf, who was appointed head of the intelligence unit in 2015. Daily newspaper Expressen reports that Ms. Staaf was given the job by Mr. Mats Löfving, at the time deputy national police commissioner and national chief operations officer.
The paper also claims that Mr. Löfving and Ms. Staaf were romantically involved when she got the appointment. Daily newspaper Aftonbladet claims that their relationship began after she landed the job.
In a press release, the prosecutor in charge, Mr. Bengt Åsbäck, explained that he opened an initial investigation, but no charges have yet been filed.
The appointment of Staaf is said to have negatively affected the police response to the so-called Koran riots in April. The riots erupted in several Swedish cities as Muslim immigrants responded to multiple events where Danish politician Rasmus Paludan publicly burned a copy of the Koran.
According to Nyheter24.se, Linda Staaf has recently become involved with Mr. Micael Bydén, commander in chief of the Swedish military. The same news outlet also reports that Staaf is stepping down at the end of the year from her position as head of the national police intelligence unit.
It is unclear when the special prosecutorial office expects to complete its ongoing investigation.
