Press invitation: Decision on a Review in the Palme Investigation

On 10 June 2020, Chief Prosecutor Krister Petersson decided to close the investigation into the murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme on February 28 1986. The justification for the decision was that the suspect has deceased. The justification for the decision prevents the investigation from being reopened.

On 25 September 2025, a request was received to reopen the investigation with reference to the possibility of using new DNA technology to obtain evidence through new analyses and samples from Olof Palme's coat.

– The requested measure cannot be taken without reopening the investigation. And it is not legally possible to reopen the investigation as long as the closure decision is based on the suspect being deceased, says Director of Prosecution Lennart Guné.

He therefore has decided to review the weight of the evidence against the designated perpetrator and is of the opinion that the evidence against the person who has been designated as a suspect is not sufficient.

– I have reviewed the circumstances that were considered to incriminate the person who was designated as a suspect in 2020. I have also taken note of circumstances that speak against him being the perpetrator of the crime. Overall, it is my assessment that the evidence is not sufficient to form the basis for identifying him as the designated perpetrator.

The Investigation is Not Reopened but the Reasoning for the Decision is Changed

– I have found that I do not have grounds to reopen the investigation in order to conduct renewed analyses and samples of Olof Palme's coat.

– There are currently no circumstances known to me that have the potential to lead a reopened investigation to prosecution and conviction. The investigation should therefore remain closed but with a different justification: Based on the investigation material that is now available, it is not possible to prove who the perpetrator is and further investigation cannot be assumed to change the evidence in a decisive way.

The Prosecution Authority's case number: AMR-8123-25.

The decision

This is review 

Press Conference in Swedish will be held this Afternoon - Registration Required

Time and Place

The press conference will take place on Thursday, 18 December at 2 p.m. at Klara Konferens, Klarabergsviadukten 90, Stockholm. Admission from 1:30 p.m.

Speaker

Lennart Guné, Director of Prosecution

Registration Required

Register no later than 18 December at 12 noon to info@prosecutor.se. Bring valid ID.

The number of places is limited and the Prosecution Authority reserves the right to allocate available places. Please specify in your registration if you would like an individual interview after the Director of Prosecution’s presentation. The Director of Prosecution is also available for short telephone interviews in English after the press conference, which must also be booked via info@prosecutor.se.

About the Press Conference

The press conference will be held in Swedish. After the press conference, there are possibilities of individual interviews in English.

The press conference will not be broadcasted digitally.

Names will be mentioned during the press conference.

The Director of Prosecution is not available to the media before the press conference.

Press Service, +46 10 562 50 20