Chairman of the Defense Committee Peter Hultqvist (S) now demands that Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson act urgently to stop a sale of Dalregementet's properties.
"It is quite absurd that there is an ongoing situation where we can bring in interests that are not compatible with Swedish security policy. Of course, this must be stopped, says Defense Committee Chairman Peter Hultqvist (S).
Chinese buyers interested
Dalregementet's premises and properties in Falun are owned by the ailing real estate company SBB – and the buildings now risk being sold to foreign interests.
As Minister of Defence, Peter Hultqvist, together with, among others, King Carl Gustaf inaugurated the Dal Regiment at the reopening in October 2021.
Today, there are few rules governing who may own Swedish security-classified buildings. Stakeholders have mentioned, among others, a Hong Kong-Chinese billionaire.
Hultqvist: "Security risks"
According to Peter Hultqvist, it is highly inappropriate for a foreign power to take over a military property and thereby gain insight into, among other things, drawings and IT systems.
"It is very reasonable to have as a basic principle that the state should own these types of buildings and areas. It must be an official control. There should be no security risks," he says.
Call to the government
Peter Hultqvist now urges Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defense Minister Pål Jonson to act urgently.
"I see this as an important issue for both the Defense Minister and the Prime Minister to make that mark. The state must control the Armed Forces' facilities, and especially in the security policy camp that is now where we know that Russia, among others, is trying to use various methods to gain both knowledge and advantages.
SVT has reached out to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the Defense Minister for comment.
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Cecila Vestin, CEO of the state-owned pension giant Kåpan's real estate company, is critical of the fact that almost anyone can own security-classified buildings. Photo: SVT/The Swedish Armed Forces