Swedish hacker pleads against extradition

Pirate Bay co-founder claims that a Swedish verdict proves his innocence, but it won’t prevent him from being extradited to Denmark

Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm Warg has written an open letter to the Danish justice minister Morten Bødskov (Socialdemokraterne) and interior minister Margrethe Vestager (Radikale Venstre), asking for them to drop the hacking charges against him.

 

"I sincerely apologize that my computer has been used in a way that has caused damage to Denmark. Of course that wasn't my intention," he wrote.

 

In the letter, the 28-year old hacker claims that since the Svea Court of Appeal in Sweden acquitted him of charges that he had hacked into the bank Nordea, it would be a waste of resources to transfer him to Denmark. The court upheld the charge of hacking into Swedish IT firm Logica, a public agency that stores data for Sweden’s public registry.

 

READ MORE: Pirate Bay co-founder headed to Denmark for trial

 

"I am convinced that it would be a waste of both financial and human resources to continue the trial against me in Denmark, after the Svea Court of Appeal reached its verdict," Warg's statement continued. "It seems as if the Danish police and the Danish prosecuting authorities don't have confidence in the Swedish court."

 

Verdict changes nothing

The head prosecutor at Copenhagen Police, Dorit Borgaard, said that neither Warg's letter nor the Swedish court's verdict will have any effect on the Danish case.

 

"If he really couldn't be held responsible for what his computer was used for, then the Swedish court would have aquitted him of all charges against him, not just the Nordea case," Borgaard told Berlingske newspaper. "I can only say that we will keep petitioning for an extradition."

 

Last month, it was announced that Warg will be extradited to Denmark for court proceedings related to last year’s hacking of computer systems belonging to CSC, a computer firm that protects sensitive databases belonging to the police and other public authorities. 

 

READ MORE: Hacker charged with stealing from police databases

 

While it has been confirmed that his server was used when a 20-year old Danish hacker gained access to the e-mail accounts and passwords of around 10,000 officials, it remains uncertain if it was Warg’s intention to be an accomplice to the crime.

 

There is still no set date on when he is going to be extradited to Denmark.

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