Denmark’s prosecutor announced on Friday, 16 September 2022 that it had charged the suspended chief of the country’s foreign intelligence unit, Lars Findsen, with leaking state information.
He was accused of passing state secrets to six people including two journalists over the course of 16-17 months.
“It is of course serious when secrets or other confidential information that is essential for the intelligence services’ work to protect Denmark’s security is passed on to unauthorized persons,” said Jacob Berger Nielsen, State Attorney in Viborg, Denmark.
“It carries a risk of further spread to a wider public. It can damage the relationship with the intelligence services’ partners, and it can make it more difficult for them to carry out their work if their working methods are revealed.”
Findsen could be sentenced to prison of up to four years under the charges, some of which belong to a section of the penal code which includes treason, said the prosecutor.
The former spy chief’s lawyer confirmed the charges on Friday while he himself did not comment on the case.
