One has a kind of subordinate relationship, which includes not being allowed to conceal important information, then it is in the nature of things that one cannot run to the responsible minister with everything. But if one deliberately decides that certain information should not be passed on to the government and the responsible minister, it sounds like a breach of rules in my ears, says Joakim Nergelius, professor of law at Örebro University.
Part of the assignment
He emphasizes that he cannot comment specifically on Susanne Ås Sivborg and Expressen's allegations that she failed to inform the Government Offices about security breaches in the authority's e-service.
But generally, almost all government agencies are subordinate to the government, including the Lantmäteriet, and it is part of the assignment to keep the government informed about important matters, he explains.
Is it a serious breach of rules to withhold information?
It depends on what the matter concerns. The more important the question is, the more serious the breach of rules is, says Nergelius.
Security aspects
He draws parallels to the Director-General of the Transport Agency, Maria Ågren, who was forced to leave her post in January 2017 after the agency had breached several laws and regulations by allowing non-security-cleared technicians abroad to access sensitive registers.
In the case of the Transport Agency, it was a matter of not following applicable rules, and in addition, there were things that threatened national security. If I have understood the reporting correctly, there are also such security aspects here, says Nergelius.
