There are examples of diplomats who have acted incorrectly and have therefore been put in the refrigerator for the time being. They are placed in "availability". A government official or diplomat is suspended from work but receives salary and is obliged to be at the employ of the employer.

Affect your career

- It is very uncommon for an employee to be deprived of his duties, I have not been aware of it, says Carl-Henrik Ehrenkrona, Director of Law at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the years 2002-2010.

- It happens that diplomats and other officials can show poor judgment. It leads to criticism from senior managers, in some cases the career can be affected but I have not participated in any layoffs or disciplinary punishment, he says.

One way to punish a foreign official may be to put an end to future foreign placements.

Must anchor

In difficult consular cases, a group is often formed to handle the case. The same happened with the imprisoned Swedish book publisher Gui Minhai. The leader of the group must anchor his / her actions with the Head of Unit, the Cabinet Secretary or directly with the Foreign Minister.

Another method

If a diplomat wants to act independently without waiting for the Foreign Ministry's sign, you can apply something called diploma language in diplomatic language "sauf avis contraire". You talk about what you intend to do and that you intend to act if you do not receive any objections from the foreign leadership.

"The current case of Anna Lindstedt is unique and the suspicion concerns violations of national security," Carl-Henrik Ehrenkrona told SVT News.

Could this be about the Foreign Ministry's own mistakes in the Gui Minhai case where Anna Lindstedt becomes a scapegoat for political reasons?

- You probably do not sacrifice an official, so cynically does not act Foreign Ministry. This case is all about judging the Ambassador's judgment. Even if she did not have evil intentions, you have to be aware of what you are doing and you are responsible for the consequences of an indecent act, says Carl-Henrik Ehrenkrona.

Anna Lindstedt announces through her defense attorney that she denies crime.