DSB deputy director Peter Nedergaard Nielsen has been suspended in the wake of revelations that he received what are being called “incriminating” emails in his personal account, from the head of a PR firm allegedly hired to keep a critical journalist at bay.

According to a press release from the state-owned rail company, the suspension was decided on after a meeting between DSB chairman Peter Schütze, managing director Jesper Lok and representatives from the law firm Bruun & Hjejle. The law firm is now conducting an independent inquiry into DSB's co-operation with PR firm Waterfront to keep freelance journalist Lars Abild occupied with work so he wouldn’t have time to write critical stories about DSB.

The relationship was exposed in an email sent by PR firm Waterfront to Nielsen, which was obtained by the public broadcaster DR’s news programme ‘21 Søndag’.

“The bureau has been working together with Abild for several years to ensure that he desists from placing pressure on DSB in the media,” the email stated.

In one of the emails, Poulsen told Nielsen intimate details about Abild’s health problems.

DSB's public relations department declined to say if more employees were facing suspension.

“We will investigate this case quickly and thoroughly and report the findings as soon as they are available, and we will be as open as possible about it,” Lok said in the press release.

Nedergaard, according to DSB, will be suspended for at least the duration of the investigation.