Lars Findsen

Last updated
Lars Johan Findsen
Lars Findsen in 2015 (cropped).jpg
Lars Findsen in 2015 at a press conference in Norway.
Born (1964-09-17) September 17, 1964 (age 59)
England [1]
NationalityDanish
Alma mater University of Copenhagen (Cand. jur.)
OccupationCivil servant
Employer(s) Datatilsynet (1990-1993), Ministry of Justice (1993-2002), Politiets Efterretningstjeneste (2002-2007), Ministry of Defence (2007-2015) and Danish Defense Intelligence Service (2015-2020 (suspended))
Honours Knight of the Order of Dannebrog (2003)

Lars Johan Findsen (born 17 September 1964 [2] ) is a Danish jurist and former civil servant who served as chief of the Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) from 2015 to 2020 when he was relieved of duty due to concerns from the regulatory body of the DDIS.

Contents

In December 2021, it surfaced that Findsen, along with three other employees of the DDIS and PET, had been arrested and remained in custody on charges of leaking classified information. [3] Findsen was released from custody in February 2022 after a judge ruling, [4] though the Prosecution Service has continued with the case and formally accused Findsen in September 2022. [5] Findsen has denied that he is guilty. [6] [7]

On 1 November 2023 the prosecution dropped their charges against Findsen, along with similar charges against Claus Hjort Frederiksen. [8]

Education and career

Findsen obtained his secondary education at Sønderborg Gymnasium [9] and went on to study law at the University of Copenhagen, where he graduated with a Candidate of Law in 1990. [2] He chose to study law for the sole purpose of becoming a police chief. [9]

Findsen started his career in 1990 working in the Danish Data Surveillance Authority. From 1993 to 2002 he worked various positions in the Ministry of Justice. After leaving the Ministry of Justice and after a brief stint as chief of the civil intelligence agency of Denmark from 2002 to 2007, Findsen became department chief for the Ministry of Defence. He served in this position until 2015 when he was appointed chief of the Danish Defence Intelligence Service. [2] [6]

In 2003 he was made a Knight of the Order of Dannebrog. [2]

Alleged leaking of state secrets

In August 2020 Findsen and two other employees of the DDIS were relieved of their position by then Minister of Defence Trine Bramsen due to concerns from the watchdog of the DDIS over withholding of information. [10] Around a year later, in December 2021, a special commission investigating the concerns acquitted Findsen and the rest of the management of the DDIS of wrongdoing, though Findsen had already been arrested by this time. [6] [11]

Findsen was arrested in December 2021 and charged with leaking classified information under, among others, the rarely-used paragraph 109 of the Danish Penal Code. The paragraph carries a maximum sentence of 12 years. Findsen remained in custody until 17 February 2022. [4] Following his release, Findsen has been subject to extensive surveillance by Danish police, including secret recording of conversations in his home. [12] In September 2022 Findsen was formally accused by the Danish Prosecution Service, indicating they deem there is sufficient evidence for sentencing, of leaking classified information to a total of six people, including two journalists. [13] The exact circumstances of the violations remain unknown and the case will be decided upon behind closed doors. [5]

In October 2022 Findsen and investigative journalist Mette Albæk of Jyllands-Posten released the book Spionchefen: Erindringer fra celle 18 (The spy chief: Memories from cell 18). To avoid potential interference, the book was written in secret, entirely without internet access and with Findsen writing corrections by hand. [14] In the book, former Minister of Defence Trine Bramsen is accused of relieving Findsen for political reasons, [15] [16] and PET is accused of offering Findsen a deal whereby the court would be milder in its judgement in return for Findsen giving up who the press has as sources within PET and for admitting to something, [6] the latter of which has been deemed illegal by several legal experts. [17] PET has denied doing anything illegal [18] and Trine Bramsen has denied acting for political reasons. [19] Findsen has publicly supported Bramsen commenting on his case. [20] Minister of Justice Mattias Tesfaye said he could neither deny nor confirm the allegations presented in the book. [21]

The book, being released during campaigning for the 2022 Danish general election, resulted in an immediate political reaction. A political majority including the Social Democrats, Venstre, The Conservatives, the Red-Green Alliance, Liberal Alliance and Moderaterne have supported the creation of a commission to investigate the case. [22] [23] Although most parties support a commission, they disagree on when the commission should be created. Venstre supports an immediate commission while the Social Democrats support awaiting the judgement of the courts in the case. [24]

On 27 October 2023 the Supreme Court ruled against the prosecution's demand that the charges against Findsen were to not be made public. [25] On 1 November 2023 the prosecution dropped their charges against Findsen, along with similar charges against Claus Hjort Frederiksen. [8]

Findsen announced on 26 August 2024 that he was suing PET and the Ministry of Justice for violations of his privacy and honor. [26]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claus Hjort Frederiksen</span> Danish politician

Claus Hjort Frederiksen is a Danish politician of the Venstre party, who served as the Danish Minister for Defence from 2016 to 2019, and as Minister for Finance from 2015 to 2016, having previously served in that position from 2009 to 2011, as member of the first Løkke Rasmussen Cabinet. From 2001 to 2009, he was Minister of Employment in the first, second, and third cabinets of Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief of Defence (Denmark)</span> Highest-ranking professional military officer in the Danish Armed Forces

The Chief of Defence of Denmark, acting under the statutory responsibility of the Minister of Defence, is the chief of defence and commander of the Royal Danish Army, the Royal Danish Navy and the Royal Danish Air Force. The Chief of Defence is the principal military adviser to the Minister of Defence and the head of the Defence Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish Defence Intelligence Service</span> Danish foreign intelligence organization

The Danish Defence Intelligence Service is a Danish intelligence agency, responsible for Denmark's foreign intelligence, as well as being the Danish military intelligence service. DDIS is an agency under the Ministry of Defence and works under the responsibility of the Minister of Defence. It is housed at Kastellet, Copenhagen.

The Robert Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is a Danish Film Academy award presented at the annual Robert Award ceremony to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a Danish film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Alternative (Denmark)</span> Political party in Denmark

The Alternative is a green and pro-European political party in Denmark. The party was publicly launched on 27 November 2013 by former Minister of Culture Uffe Elbæk and Josephine Fock; Elbæk had been a parliamentarian for the Social Liberal Party. Elbæk was the leader of the party until February 2020, where he stepped down and was succeeded by Fock. Currently the party is led by Franciska Rosenkilde. It collaborates with DiEM25 at the European level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Right (Denmark)</span> Political party in Denmark

Nye Borgerlige is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Denmark. Formed by Pernille Vermund and Peter Seier Christensen in 2015, it first entered the Folketing in 2019 with four seats and again in 2022 with six. After three defections in the first months after the election, by March 2023 the party's number of seats in the Folketing was reduced to three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Danish general election</span>

General elections were held in the Kingdom of Denmark on 1 November 2022, except in the Faroe Islands, where they were held on 31 October as 1 November was a national day of mourning for victims at sea. Of the 179 members of the Folketing, 175 were elected in Denmark proper, two in the Faroes and two in Greenland. The elections were called on 5 October following an ultimatum to the government by the Social Liberals due to the outcome of a report on the 2020 Danish mink cull by the Mink Commission, which was critical of the government. Voter turnout was 84% in Denmark, 48% in Greenland, and 71% in the Faroes, with a combined turnout of 84% for the realm as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Vanopslagh</span> French born-Danish politician

Alex Dominique Kristensen Vanopslagh is a French-born Danish politician. He is a member of the Folketing, and party leader of the Liberal Alliance. He is a former chairman of its youth wing, Liberal Alliance Youth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederiksen I Cabinet</span> Government of Denmark from 2019 to 2022

The Frederiksen I Cabinet took office on 27 June 2019 and succeeded the Lars Løkke Rasmussen III Cabinet following the 2019 Danish general election. Headed by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, it was a minority government consisting of the Social Democrats. It relied on parliamentary support from the Red–Green Alliance, the Socialist People's Party, and the Social Liberal Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trine Bramsen</span> Danish politician (born 1981)

Trine Bramsen is a Danish politician of the Social Democrats, who has been a member of the Folketing since 2011. She served as minister of transport from February to December 2022 and minister of defence from 2019 until February 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jakob Ellemann-Jensen</span> Danish politician (born 1973)

Jakob Ellemann-Jensen is a Danish former politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Denmark and Minister of Defence under Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen from 2022 to 2023. He led the Venstre party from 2019 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 European Parliament election in Denmark</span>

The 2024 European Parliament election in Denmark was held on 9 June 2024. The elections were held as part of the wider 2024 European Parliament election, but did not take place in the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are not part of the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lars Boje Mathiesen</span> Danish politician

Lars Boje Mathiesen is a Danish politician who has been an independent member of the Danish Parliament, the Folketing, since March 2023. Previously a member of the Nye Borgerlige political party before his expulsion in 2023, he was first elected to the Folketing at the 2019 general election for the Nye Borgerlige and again at the 2022 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moderates (Denmark)</span> Political party in Denmark

The Moderates is a liberal political party in Denmark founded by former Prime Minister and current Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen. He announced the name in a foundational speech on 5 June 2021. At the same time, he said that his main scenario was that the party would be formed after the 2021 Danish local elections. The name was, according to Rasmussen, inspired by the fictitious Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg's party Moderaterne in the hit political TV drama Borgen as well as the Swedish Moderate Party, the then–second largest party in the Swedish Riksdag. The Moderates' political position is referred to as centre to centre-right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikkel Bjørn</span> Danish politician

Mikkel Bjørn Sørensen is a Danish politician and former teacher. In November 2022, he became a member of the Folketing for the Nye Borgerlige (NB) party, but in January 2023 changed his party allegiance to the Danish People's Party (DF). Formerly, in 2016-2021 he was the first national chairman of Nye Borgerliges youth wing. Growing up near Juelsminde in Jutland, Bjørn has since 2022 lived in Nyborg on Funen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederiksen II Cabinet</span> Government of Denmark since 2022

The Frederiksen II Cabinet is the current Government of Denmark, which took office on 15 December 2022. It succeeded the Frederiksen I Cabinet following the 2022 general election.

Events in the year 2023 in Denmark.

On 14 December 2023, Danish police arrested three people and charged a further four in absensia for conspiring to commit a terrorist attack in Denmark. One of the four was arrested in the Netherlands, but released. Five out of Denmark's 15 police departments took part in the operation. The three arrested in Denmark, two men and a younger woman, were put before preliminary questioning at around 7 pm. The judge ruled to give the defendants name protection and for the case to take place behind so-called "double closed doors", meaning the public will be restrained from access. The plot has been linked to the Danish gang Loyal to Familia.

References

  1. ↑ "Altinget - Alt om politik: altinget.dk". www.altinget.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Chefen for FE". Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste. Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  3. ↑ "To fængslet i hemmeligt grundlovsforhør: Medarbejdere anholdt for lækager fra FE og PET". DR (in Danish). 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  4. 1 2 "Landsret går imod byretten: Fængslet FE-chef løslades". DR (in Danish). 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  5. 1 2 "Tidligere FE-chef Lars Findsen er blevet tiltalt". DR (in Danish). 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Lars Findsen i ny bog: PET's juridiske chef tilbød mig aftale". DR (in Danish). 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  7. ↑ "Lars Findsen forsvarer samtaler med journalister under hjemsendelse". DR (in Danish). 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  8. 1 2 Abrahamsen, Jeppe Dong (2023-11-01). "Alle sager i spionskandalen droppes" [All cases in spy scandal dropped]. politiken.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  9. 1 2 Mainz, Pernille (2006-09-05). "Portræt: Den åbne PET-chef". Berlingske.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  10. ↑ "Chefen for Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste sendes hjem". Altinget.dk (in Danish). 24 August 2020. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  11. ↑ "Lars Findsen: Dybt krænkende at detaljer om privatliv er delt". DR (in Danish). 2022-06-28. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  12. ↑ "Blev aflyttet derhjemme: Samtaler med familiemedlemmer indgår i sagen mod spionchef Lars Findsen". DR (in Danish). 2022-04-04. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  13. ↑ "Tiltale mod suspenderet chef for FE for overtrædelse af bl.a. straffelovens § 109, stk. 1 | Anklagemyndigheden". anklagemyndigheden.dk. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  14. ↑ "Uden internet og i hemmelighed skrev journalist Findsen-bog: Sådan faktatjekkede hun spionchef". DR (in Danish). 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  15. ↑ "Spionchef anklager i ny bog Trine Bramsen for at hjemsende af politiske årsager - TV 2". nyheder.tv2.dk (in Danish). 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  16. ↑ "Eks-spionchef anklager Trine Bramsen: Hjemsendt af politiske årsager". DR (in Danish). 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  17. ↑ "Juraprofessorer er ikke i tvivl: PET har brudt loven, hvis de har tilbudt Lars Findsen aftale". DR (in Danish). 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  18. ↑ "PET afviser 'fuldstændigt' at have tilbudt Findsen en ulovlig aftale". DR (in Danish). 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  19. ↑ "Trine Bramsen afviser at have hjemsendt FE-chef af politiske grunde | Nyheder". DR (in Danish). 17 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  20. ↑ "Findsen vil have Trine Bramsen ud af busken: Hun må gerne tale om min sag". DR (in Danish). 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  21. ↑ "Tesfaye om anklager i Findsens nye bog: Det kan jeg hverken be- eller afkræfte". DR (in Danish). 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  22. ↑ "Efter Findsens bog: Alle blå partier kræver en undersøgelseskommission". DR (in Danish). 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  23. ↑ "Hvordan påvirker Findsen-bog valget?". www.dr.dk. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  24. ↑ "LIVE Valgkampen er i fuld gang". DR (in Danish). 2022-10-14. Archived from the original on 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  25. ↑ "Højesteret åbner døre en smule i sager mod Hjort og Findsen" [Supreme Court open doors slightly in cases versus Hjort and Findsen]. nyheder.tv2.dk (in Danish). 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  26. ↑ "Lars Findsen lægger sag an mod PET og Justitsministeriet for krænkelser | Nyheder". DR (in Danish). 2024-08-26. Retrieved 2024-08-26.

See also

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.