A former Swedish intelligence official was handed a life sentence on Thursday for spying for Russia's GRU military intelligence service between 2011 and 2021, and his brother jailed for 10 years.

Stockholm's district court found 42-year-old Peyman Kia, who served in Sweden's intelligence service Sapo and in military intelligence units, and his brother Payam, 35, guilty of "aggravated espionage".

The brothers had "together and in concertation, illegally and for the benefit of Russia and the GRU, acquired, transmitted and disclosed information whose disclosure to a foreign power could harm Sweden's security".

The court found Peyman Kia guilty of gathering some 90 classified documents through his jobs.

His brother was meanwhile found guilty of planning the crime and managing contacts with the GRU, passing on about 45 of the classified documents.

Peyman Kia was handed a life sentence for carrying out espionage "of the most serious category", judge Mans Wigen said, adding that he had taken advantage of his employment as an intelligence official to aid Russia, which poses "the biggest threat to Sweden".

 

                

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