Ex-minister charged for revealing state secrets

Denmark’s ex-defense chief said he has been charged for revealing state secrets, but insisted the case against him is “political”

Ex-minister charged for revealing state secrets
22 Feb, 2023 04:05 HomeWorld News

Ex-minister charged for revealing state secrets

The case centers on joint spying operations by US and Danish intelligence agencies, which reportedly eavesdropped on Western leaders

Denmark's former Defense Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen has been charged with divulging state secrets, after claiming Danish military intelligence worked with the US National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on a number of foreign officials, among them ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Facebook post on Tuesday, saying he had been indicted for the “disclosure or passing on of state secrets.” He insisted on his innocence, however, claiming the allegations are motivated by politics

“I deny having exceeded the limits of my far-reaching freedom of speech as a politician, and I have not revealed alleged state secrets. Period,” he said, adding “I will demand a jury trial, as this is a political case.”

Danish officials declined to cite Frederiksen by name in discussing the charges, with prosecutor Jakob Berger Nielsen saying the case “includes highly classified information that cannot be presented openly.” 

media reports, which cited a confidential Danish intelligence review carried out following the Snowden revelations.