Swedish Justice Minister Quits Over Secret Palme Death Probe
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STOCKHOLM — The search for the assassin of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme claimed a new political victim today when Justice Minister Anna-Greta Leijon quit over her handling of the investigation.
Leijon was forced to resign after it became clear that the government faced defeat in a parliamentary no-confidence vote.
She had admitted authorizing a privately financed, secret investigation into the February, 1986, murder.
Leijon’s covert investigation was headed by Ebbe Carlsson, a publisher with close links to the ruling Social Democrats but few other obvious qualifications. It ended in failure and embarrassment last week after Carlsson’s bodyguard was caught trying to smuggle illegal surveillance equipment into Sweden.
“Anna-Greta Leijon was committed to fighting terrorism and did more than anybody else to combat it,” said Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson, making no attempt to hide his bitterness at the resignation of one of his closest political allies.
“But she made a mistake and the opposition could not accept that. So they have dismissed a woman who did so much to oppose violence and terrorism.”
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