According to its press release, the Court of Appeal considers it proven that Peyman acquired, conveyed, and disclosed the vast majority of the information covered by the indictment to the Russian intelligence service GRU.
The preliminary investigation has been ongoing since 2017 and was conducted by the Security Service under the leadership of two prosecutors at the National Security Unit. The intelligence work was based on information that someone within the Swedish intelligence system had offered information to a foreign power. The criminal activity is said to have taken place between 2011 and 2017, and the acquisition of the information occurred when Peyman Kia was employed by the Armed Forces from 2011 to 2014 and the Security Service from 2014 to 2015, according to the Security Service's press release.
- It is a unique case that has posed significant challenges for the defendants and their defenders, but also for the judiciary in ensuring both the defendants' absolute right to a fair trial and maintaining the strong confidentiality that ultimately concerns the protection of Sweden's security, says Court of Appeal Judge Ragnar Palmkvist, who chaired the case, in the Svea Court of Appeal's press release.