Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm has sent an open letter to the Danish Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior, pleading his innocence. In Denmark, Gottfrid is accused of downloading a large number of files, including police records, from the mainframe of IT company CSC. Last month the Swedish Court of Appeal cleared the 28-year-old of a similar hack, and Gottfrid believes that this ruling also clears him of the Danish charges.

Two weeks ago Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm had his hacking sentence reduced from two to one year in prison.

The Court of Appeal upheld the guilty verdict in the hacking of IT company Logica, but overturned the guilty verdict handed down in respect of the breach at the Nordea bank.

Following the new verdict Gottfrid will be a free man in just four months. However, soon after the appeal court decision authorities in Denmark announced that they would move forward with the Pirate Bay founder’s extradition for a separate hacking case.

In Denmark, Gottfrid is accused of downloading a large number of files, including police records, from the mainframe of IT company CSC. The Danes successfully requested Gottfrid’s extradition earlier this year when they described the CSC hack as similar to the Nordea one in Sweden.

Despite the similarities and Gottfrid’s acquittal on the Nordea hack, Denmark is continuing its case against the Pirate Bay founder, much to the surprise of his mother Kristina Svartholm.

“It would be remarkable if the Danes bring Gottfrid to court in spite of the Swedish judgment. It would mean, in principle, that one country after another could do this to him despite the acquittal,” Kristina informs TorrentFreak.

The decision to extradite Gottfrid was based on an treaty between the two Nordic countries, in which Sweden trusts the Danish legal system and vice versa. However, in an open letter to the Danish Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior, Gottfrid doubts that this is still the case.

In the letter he further apologizes that his computer was used for the CSC hack, but stresses that this was not his wrongdoing.

“It was positioned as a ‘lab computer’/server available to other people, both physically and through the Internet. This has been confirmed by the Swedish Svea Court of Appeal in the judgment delivered on 25 September,” Gottfrid writes.

“The Court of Appeal also notes that the computer’s firewall has been configured in such a way that the computer’s integrity could no longer be guaranteed and the remote control could be done in a number of ways,” he adds.

Gottfrid says that he can’t be held responsible for what the police found on his computer. To avoid wasting time and resources, he believes that the Danish prosecution should drop the case.

“I wish to emphasize my view that there must be a huge waste of resources – both monetary and human – to continue to pursue the case against me in Denmark after this judgment. It seems as if the Danish police and the Danish prosecution service does not trust the Swedish courts,” Gottfrid writes.

Thus far there is no sign that the Swedish appeal verdict will change the position of the Danish prosecution, and whether Gottfrid’s plea will have any effect remains to be seen. A full copy of the open letter is available below.

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Dear Morten Bødskov / Margarethe Vestager,

I am sincerely sorry that my computer has been used in a way that caused injury in Denmark. Of course, this has not been the intention of it. It was positioned as a ‘lab computer’/server available to other people , both physically and through the Internet.

This has been confirmed by the Swedish Svea Court of Appeal in the judgment delivered on 25 September. The Court of Appeal also notes that computer’s firewall has been configured in such a way that the computer’s integrity could no longer be guaranteed and the remote control could be done in a number of ways. Hereby, I can not be held responsible for what has have been found on the computer.

I want to emphasize that I have no connection whatsoever to Denmark. Previously, Danish police in interrogation with me claimed that the Danish CSC-hack was similar to the Nordea infringement that I was charged of. With the ruling by the Svea Court of Appeals, I am completely cleared of suspicions of the Nordea intrusion.

Finally, I wish to emphasize my view that there must be a huge waste of resources – both monetary and human – to continue to pursue the case against me in Denmark after this judgment. It seems as if the Danish police and the Danish prosecution service does not trust the Swedish courts. I would be grateful if the Minister could point this out to those affected and would once again regret that my computer was misused in this way.

Sincerely

Gottfrid Svartholm Warg