Lars Findsen awarded damages for unlawful detention

Lars Findsen, the suspended head of the Danish Defence Intelligence Service, has been awarded compensation for wrongful imprisonment and electronic surveillance. He was arrested on December 8, 2021, in Copenhagen Airport under suspicion of leaking state secrets and was detained for 71 days until released by the Eastern High Court judges. Last November, the prosecution abandoned the case without raising criminal charges. The compensation, based on standard rates that were doubled due to the seriousness of the accusations, also includes a settlement for unauthorized wiretapping that lasted about a year. However, Findsen’s request for compensation for tort was denied by the State Prosecutor, a decision his lawyer has contested to the Attorney General. If denied again, Findsen can take the matter to court. The case was unusually closed without trial after the Supreme Court ruled against the strict conditions demanded by the prosecution, including denying Findsen access to indictment documents.