Bertil Ströberg

Bertil Johan Olof Ströberg (30 March 1932 – 25 March 2012 ) was a Swedish Air Force officer convicted of spying for Poland during the Cold War. In 1983 he was sentenced to six years in prison for aggravated espionage by the Stockholm District Court. Ströberg insisted on his innocence for nearly 30 years.

Career Ströberg grew up in Hulevik, between Småland and Blekinge. After six years of folkskola (people's school), the 17-year-old Ströberg enlisted in 1949 and became a signaller. He was posted at Blekinge Wing (F 17) and became a non-commissioned officer. He graduated from the Swedish Armed Forces School for Secondary Education in Uppsala and became an officer. Ströberg started his career at the Air Staff. Suspected they were being set up, the Polish Embassy contacted the Ministry for Foreign Affairs who handed the letter over to the Swedish Security Service who set up a trap for Ströberg. He was then arrested.

Ströberg claimed he met Larsson in connection with that he had been assaulted by unknown men at Djurgården in Stockholm. Ströberg claimed he averted the beatings and the unknown men fled. Then Ströberg gave his business card to Larsson in case there would be a legal aftermath. Ströberg further claimed that after some time he received a letter from Larsson (who Ströberg said had a "foreign appearance and spoke broken Swedish") because Larsson needed help to collect a letter at the Central Post Office in Stockholm.

Trial The courts dismissed Ströberg's statement as unreasonable, stating that he made up the story with "Sven-Roland Larsson" as a cover story. The Stockholm District Court disagreed in its verdict and when the case was dealt with by the Svea Court of Appeal three months later, the conviction was upheld, but also here the court was in disagreement.

Ströberg was released on parole from Kumla Prison in May 1986 after serving three years. According to the television program Kalla fakta there was nothing that suggested that Ströberg could have been linked to this letter and Ströberg's lawyer applied for trial de novo at the Supreme Court, which in turn sent the case to the Prosecutor-General of Sweden.

Later life and death Ströberg had ever since he was arrested claimed that he was the unwitting victim of a conspiracy. After serving his sentence Ströberg worked as a broker before his retirement. He died 79 years old on 25 March 2012 following a yearlong battle against cancer.