"I have reviewed the circumstances that were considered to incriminate the person who was identified as a suspect in 2020. I have also taken note of circumstances that indicate that he is the perpetrator of the crime," writes Chief Prosecutor Lennart Guné in a press release.
"Overall, it is my assessment that the evidence is not sufficient to form the basis for identifying him," he continues.
It was at a press conference on June 10, 2020 that Chief Prosecutor Krister Petersson presented his decision to close the preliminary investigation into the murder of Olof Palme in 1986.
Reasonably suspected
Petersson justified the decision to close the case by saying that the person he believed was suspected of the murder, Stig Engström, was deceased. In Petersson's opinion, there was sufficient evidence to arrest Engström as a reasonable suspect, if he had been alive.
"I can state that if I had been the head of the preliminary investigation 34 years ago, he would undoubtedly have been deprived of his liberty by me. But I am no fool to understand that it is not enough for a conviction, further investigative measures are needed," Petersson told TT in connection with the decision.
Petersson's justification for closing the investigation has now been reviewed by Chief Prosecutor Lennart Guné, after a request was received to use new DNA technology to take samples from Olof Palme's coat. These measures cannot be taken without reopening the investigation, which is not possible if the suspect is deceased.
After taking a closer look at the weight of the evidence against Engström, Lennart Guné concludes that it is not enough to point him out as a suspect.
No new investigation
At the same time, the Chief Prosecutor does not believe that he has grounds to reopen the investigation, as according to him there are no known circumstances that could lead to a future prosecution.
"The preliminary investigation should therefore continue to be closed, but with a different justification: Based on the investigation material that is now available, it is not possible to prove who the perpetrator is and further investigation cannot be assumed to change the evidence in a decisive way," says Lennart Guné.
Krister Petersson's accusations against Stig Engström have previously been harshly criticized by the Swedish Ombudsman, Per Lennerbrant, who concluded in 2021 that the presumption of innocence for Engström had been violated by the prosecutor's statements.
Marc Skogelin/TT
Facts: The assassination of Olof Palme
TT
On Friday, February 28, 1986, Prime Minister Olof Palme and his wife Lisbet are on their way home from the Grand cinema in Stockholm. At his own request, Palme is without bodyguards.
The couple is walking south on Sveavägen. At 11:21 p.m., a man shoots the prime minister in the back as the couple is about to cross Tunnelgatan.
The shot is instantly fatal.
The murderer disappears into Tunnelgatan and up the stairs.
After about three minutes, the first police patrol arrives.
Shortly afterwards, an ambulance arrives from Sollentuna, which happens to be nearby.
At 00.06 on Saturday, March 1, Olof Palme is pronounced dead at Sabbatsberg Hospital.
