Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Ericsson employees jailed for espionage

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 04:19:43 -0400

Ericsson employees jailed for espionage

A former employee of Ericsson, who was made redundant in the recent wave of job
cuts was sentenced yesterday to eight years in prison for espionage.

Afshin Bavand (46) handed secret company documents to the Russian intelligence
agency last year, a move that could have harmed Sweden's national security. Also
convicted were two of Bavand's co-workers for complicity in industrial espionage
for gathering some of the information and giving it to Bavand.

In an unusual move, the Stockholm district court sealed the documents that were
used in evidence, and also imposed a court order preventing witnesses from
discussing the case for 20 years.

Bavand was arrested last November, while meeting a Russian diplomant who has been
accused of being an intelligence agent. Sweden later expelled two Russian
diplomats for "activities not compatible with their diplomatic status."
The documents are alleged to have contained information on mobile and fixed
telephony systems. While Ericsson is also a defense contractor, there doesn't
appear to have been any documents regarding Ericsson's defense products.
Ericsson makes radar systems for defence programmes, including for the JAS-39
Gripen fighter planes made by Sweden's Saab and Britain's BAE Systems.

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/9076.shtml
Posted to the site on 18-Jun-03

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Get A Free Psychic Reading! Your Online Answer To Life's Important Questions.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Lj3uPC/Me7FAA/ySSFAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/