The district court justifies the acquittal by saying that the investigation does not meet the evidentiary requirements - it does not provide a complete picture of what led to the accident, or who was responsible for controlling the elevator.
The accident occurred at a construction site in Sundbyberg, northwest of Stockholm, on December 11, 2023. Five construction workers, four of whom were foreign nationals, were in the elevator when the mast collapsed and the car fell from a height of nine floors. All five died. Two more men escaped the collapse - one was standing and holding the door open, the other was about to step in.
Screw connections were missing
An investigation showed that several load-bearing screw connections that were supposed to hold the sections of the elevator mast together were missing.
Two fitters and the CEO of the company that installed the elevator were charged with serious work environment violations.
According to the lawsuit, the fitters had failed to install the screw connections when the elevator was raised. They had also not carried out any self-inspection. The CEO had not organized the work within the company to ensure that procedures were actually followed, the prosecutor said.
High standards of proof
The District Court notes that the accident was indeed caused by missing bolts, and that this deficiency was not caught in an internal inspection. However, it cannot be established with certainty that the sequence of events prior to that is as described by the prosecutor - the investigation is not sufficient.
There have been other people involved in the course of events. We have been able to hear some, others not. But it is not clear what led to the accident and how it could have happened, says Chief Prosecutor Karin Sandahl and continues:
It is only what is alleged by the prosecutors that we can judge. And after a careful examination of what has been relied on as support, the high standard of proof for a conviction has not been met.
The prosecutor had demanded that the elevator company pay a corporate fine of seven million kronor, but as a result of the defendants being acquitted, this was also rejected by the district court.
However, the verdict will be appealed, according to Jennie Nordin, senior prosecutor.
I can state that the district court has not shared our assessment, and I believe that it is an incorrect verdict, she says.
Regarding the possibility that other people could have been involved, she says:
I do not support that analysis. Even if you think there should be someone else responsible, that does not take away the other person's responsibility.
