Swedish consultant handed three years in jail for spying for Russia

A 47-year-old man in Sweden was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for providing trade secrets of truck manufacturer Scania to an employee at the Russian embassy.

The defendant had procured secret information from Scania and fellow vehicle manufacturer Volvo Cars.

This was handed over to the Russian via USB sticks - in the full knowledge it would benefit Russia, the Gothenburg District Court concluded.

In order to be convicted of espionage, however, it had to be clear that the security of the Swedish state could be damaged by the action.

The court ruled that this was the case with regard to the sharing of Scania's information, but not Volvo's.

The man, who was a consultant to both carmakers, was caught receiving 27,800 Swedish kronor (3,200 dollars) while meeting with an undercover Russian intelligence officer at a Stockholm restaurant in February 2019, eventually leading to his arrest.