A total of 114 cases decided by the district court since April may need to be retried. It is unclear how many victims, witnesses and convicted persons will have to be recalled. Nor is it clear what the cost of the additional work will be.
The error was discovered just over a week ago and has led the defence and prosecutor in a case decided in August to demand that the verdict be annulled and the case reopened. The case concerns a man who was sentenced to five years in prison, including for aggravated weapons offences.
Prosecutor Martin Westeröd was appointed acting councillor in April. When councillors are hired, approval must be obtained from the Judicial Committee and the government, which was not done. However, for a few years now, district courts have been allowed to make temporary appointments themselves, but only if the applicant has worked for at least six months as a judge at a court of appeal or other chamber.
Martin Westeröd had not done that and therefore it was wrong of me to hire him on my own, Fredrik Jonasson tells the newspaper.
