Sweden probes European Parliament candidate over groping incident





Stockholm - A Swedish prosecutor on Wednesday launched a preliminary investigation against the top candidate for the populist right-wing Sweden Democrats for the European Parliament.

The investigation against the politician, Peter Lundgren, centred on suspicion of sexual molestation, the Prosecution Authority said.



 
"I have just started the preliminary investigation. We must interview people and assess the material, which will take a while," chief prosecutor Maria Sterup told the daily Expressen.
Lundgren told Expressen at the weekend that he had touched a female party colleague's breasts at a party last year, while under the influence of alcohol.
Lundgren, who has apologized, is seeking a second term in the European Parliament.
Expressen earlier cited a taped telephone conversation where the woman discussed the matter with Kristina Winberg, another Sweden Democrat elected to the European Parliament in 2014.
In a bid to defuse the incident, the party late Monday released a video clip where the woman and Lundgren discussed the incident and agreed it was in the past. The woman said she didn't want to notify police.
Winberg has denied leaking the conversation, but has fallen out of favour with the party.
On Sunday she was removed from the list of candidates. The party said there was no connection between the events.
Jimmie Akesson, leader of the eurosceptic Sweden Democrats, told Swedish Radio that he welcomed a judicial investigation.
The complaint against Lundgren was filed by an ordinary citizen, Expressen reported Wednesday.
Sweden holds its European Parliament vote on Sunday.

 


Wednesday, May 22nd 2019
(dpa)
           


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