$59 Millions For Gottfrid’s Head. That’s The Figure Sweden Paid To Cambodia

September 6, 2012 by
Filed under: Announcements & Events, File-Sharing Programs, Networks & Services, Legal P2P News & Issues 

Since his arrest in Phnom Penh, many have speculated that either the US or Sweden had something to do with this, but without proofs. Well, it seems that they were right.

A quick round-up of what happened: Pirate Bay’s Gottfrid Svartholm was finally arrested in the Cambodian city called Phnom Penh. He was sentenced (by a Swedish court of law) to spend one year in jail, plus a $1.1 million fine, due to his ties with the world’s most popular torrent haven – The Pirate Bay. Tuesday came with a meeting between National Deputy Police Commissioner General Sok Phal and Swedish authorities, where Gottfrid’s fate was sealed – he’s to be deported, although there is no extradition treaty signed between the two countries.

Things quickly evolved, and yesterday a senior Cambodian official announced that the Swedish government made a very expensive gift to Cambodia – 400 million Swedish Kronor ($59.4 million) in “financial aid”. Official statements claim that the money is to be used for developing democracy, education, etc.

Following the signing ceremony that hosted Prime Minister Keat Chhon and Swedish Ambassador Anne Hoglund, Cambodia’s Prime Minister said:

“Cambodia considers Sweden as a highly valued development partner and we will make every best effort to ensure that the aid be utilized effectively in an efficient and transparent manner.”

Meanwhile, Gottfrid is killing time in a Cambodian detention cell and awaits deportation.

 

UPDATE: At first it was unknown whether Gottfrid was arrested due to his connections with The Pirate Bay or not, but now things have cleared up, showing that his arrest had something to do with a tax related hack that took place two years ago. The hack attack was directed against Logica.

“His arrest was made at the request of the Swedish government for a crime related to information technology,” a spokesperson for the Cambodian police confirmed.

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