Published 14 September 2024 at 09.51
Domestic. The Swede Andreas Szakacs, who is in custody in Turkey on suspicion of a fraud of SEK 41 billion, has previously worked as an intelligence officer in Sweden under a different name, reports P4 Norrbotten. The armed forces have launched an investigation into whether the man poses a security risk.
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Szakacs allegedly committed fraud through the cryptocurrency company Omega Pro of which he was CEO. The company went bankrupt in 2022, around the same time as the FTX empire, and at the time had three million customers worldwide.
At the time of bankruptcy, the company had been flagged by regulators in several countries, including France, Belgium, Spain and Argentina, which a potential scam. However, the platform did not dare to target American customers.
Szakacs finished his service as an intelligence officer three years before he started the company. The armed forces state to the radio channel that they are «aware of the incident» and a security risk report has been initiated.
The fact that the man owes other people money can be a security risk because security-sensitive information can be sold for money, according to Jörgen Holmlund, teacher in intelligence analysis at the Swedish Defense Academy.
Andreas Szakacs is registered as an emigrant with the Tax Agency and has acquired Turkish citizenship.
It is not the first time Swedish citizens have been linked to international crypto fraud. Two years ago, Fria Tider revealed that former Member of Parliament Reza Khelili (M) was the mastermind behind the Swedish company behind King Money, a fake cryptocurrency that was used to defraud 60,000 Iranians of over 300 million kroner in Iran's biggest scam of all time.