Russia 'blocks' Stockholm property sale
The Swedish Enforcement Authority (Kronofogden) was about to seize and sell a property in Stockholm belonging to the Russian Trade Delegation when a letter to the agency from the country’s embassy stopped the proceedings, according to a report in trade and business paper Dagens Industri (DI).
The conflict between the German businessman who owns the property and the Russian delegation has been ongoing for some time and the Swedish Supreme Court (Högsta Domstolen) has ruled in favour of the Enforcement Authority.
The building is not considered to be covered by any diplomatic immunity and the agency should therefore handle the matter as they would any building in the country.
But when the agency tried to have the property valued, they received a letter from the Russian embassy, claiming that the sale of the property would be detrimental to Swedish-Russian relations, reports DI.
And Peter Stigefelt of the agency was warned off proceeding with the sale in a conversation with a Russian official, saying that should that happen, it could mean that the “equal measures” might be taken against the Swedish embassy in Moscow, according to the paper.
The evaluation of the property was supposed to take place at the end of February but was ultimately cancelled by the agency. However, according to the agency this has nothing to do with pressure put on them by the Russian embassy.
“The Russians also had new information and we are obliged to look into this,” said Eva Liedström Adler of the agency told newspaper Borås Tidning (BT).
The fate of the building will be determined on Tuesday.
The Local/rm
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The conflict between the German businessman who owns the property and the Russian delegation has been ongoing for some time and the Swedish Supreme Court (Högsta Domstolen) has ruled in favour of the Enforcement Authority.
The building is not considered to be covered by any diplomatic immunity and the agency should therefore handle the matter as they would any building in the country.
But when the agency tried to have the property valued, they received a letter from the Russian embassy, claiming that the sale of the property would be detrimental to Swedish-Russian relations, reports DI.
And Peter Stigefelt of the agency was warned off proceeding with the sale in a conversation with a Russian official, saying that should that happen, it could mean that the “equal measures” might be taken against the Swedish embassy in Moscow, according to the paper.
The evaluation of the property was supposed to take place at the end of February but was ultimately cancelled by the agency. However, according to the agency this has nothing to do with pressure put on them by the Russian embassy.
“The Russians also had new information and we are obliged to look into this,” said Eva Liedström Adler of the agency told newspaper Borås Tidning (BT).
The fate of the building will be determined on Tuesday.
The Local/rm
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