Allegiance Sweden Name Tony Stigsson | Years of service 1978–2005 | |
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Born 6 November 1956 (age 67) Lonsboda, Sweden ( 1956-11-06 ) | ||
Stig Kent Tony Stigsson (born November 6, 1956, in Lönsboda, Sweden) is a former major general in the Swedish Army, former operative head for the staff of the Swedish Armed Forces, as well as member of the Swedish army staff and Sweden's representative in the Challenges of Peace Operations. Until 2005, Stigsson was also president of the Swedish wrestling federation.
Tony Stigsson was arrested in early 2005 on suspicion of rape, spousal abuse and mishandling of top secret classified documents. He was convicted of spousal abuse on July 6, 2005 and sentenced to 6 months of prison for two counts of assault, which was later reduced to three months on appeal.
Stigsson has since been relieved of all duties at the armed forces, and the government disciplinary board (Statens ansvarsnämnd) is currently reviewing whether Stigsson is to be dismissed from the Swedish armed forces. While the above were the main charges, an incriminating factor in the case from the start has been Stigsson's interest in sado-masochistic sex practices which, together with his careless handling of secret documents, were considered a clear security risk by investigators. Most of the investigation relating to this has been classified.
Security risk
According to the TV4 Kalla Fakta documentary, Major General Stigsson took serious security risks long before he was arrested last year for assaulting his wife. When searched by police, he was found to be in possession of very explicit pornographic material, which, it is alleged, made him vulnerable to blackmail. The TV4 investigation contends that a combination of the senior officer's sexual behaviour and his handling of extremely sensitive military documents constituted a major national security risk.
When Stigsson was arrested in March 2005, police found explicit, and very deviant, pornographic material in the Major General's uniform pockets as well as in his places of residence. The risk of blackmail was further increased by the fact that Stigsson made contact with unknown persons on the internet, with the intention of meeting them for group sex at swingers' clubs. According to TV4, whose reporters have had access to the full police investigation, the major general was aware of the risks. In an e-mail sent to a woman from his work address, he writes that he wanted to "test the limits", knowing that he was "always running the risk of finding myself in a blackmail situation".
In June 2006, chief prosecutor Ulf Forsberg in Uppsala decided not to press charges with Stigsson over negligence with regard to secret documents, a crime that is considered a threat to national security. Police found 300 documents in Stigsson's home, out of which 70 were classified, but Forsberg was not able to prove that any of the information contained in the documents had been disclosed to a third party.
Among the copied documents found scattered around various locations in Stigsson's house were some of the most secret and sensitive in the military's possession. These included, for instance, notes and plans of secret mountain hideouts from which Sweden would be governed in wartime, as well as documents concerning the outcome of successful intelligence operations.
Supreme Commander Håkan Syrén has requested Stigsson's dismissal. In May 2008, the National Disciplinary Offence Board reached the same decision; Stigsson has appealed it. Since 2005 he has had no active involvement with the military. Syrén, previously head of Sweden's military intelligence services, also pointed out that the defence forces have recently introduced more rigorous background checks for those seeking high-level military posts.