Stieg Larsson - The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest

“I too believe we would be wise to investigate exactly what has happened that brings us to this sorry pass. I fear that you are probably not the right person to conduct that investigation. In all my years as a jurist and judge, I have never been party to anything even approaching the legal dilemma in this case. I confess that I am at a loss for words. I have never even heard of a case in which the prosecutor’s chief witness is arrested during a court in session, or of a quite convincing argument turning out to be an utter fabrication. I honestly do not see what is left of the prosecutor’s case.”

Palmgren cleared his throat.

“Yes?” Iversen said.

“As a representative for the defence, I can only share your feelings. Sometimes one must step back and allow common sense to guide the formal procedures. I’d like to state that you, in your capacity as judge, have seen only the first stage of a scandal that is going to rock the whole establishment. Today ten police officers from within Säpo have been arrested. They will be charged with murder and a list of crimes so long that it will take quite some time to draw up the report.”

“I presume that I must decide on a suspension of this trial.”

“If you’ll excuse me for saying so, I think that would be an unfortunate decision.”

“I’m listening.”

“Lisbeth Salander is innocent. Her ‘fantastical’ autobiography, as Herr Ekström so contemptuously dismissed it, is in fact true. And it can all be proven. She has suffered an outrageous violation of her rights. As a court we could now stick with formal procedure and continue with the trial until finally we arrive at an acquittal, but there is an obvious alternative: to let a new investigation take over everything concerning Lisbeth Salander. An investigation is already underway to sort out an integral part of this mess.”

“I see what you mean.”

“As the judge of this case you have a choice. The wise thing to do would be to reject the prosecutor’s entire preliminary investigation and request that he does his homework.”

Judge Iversen looked long and hard at Ekström.

“The just thing to do would be to acquit our client at once. She deserves in addition an apology, but the redress will take time and will depend upon the rest of the investigation.”

“I understand the points you’re making, Advokat Palmgren. But before I can declare your client innocent I will have to have the whole story clear in my mind. That will probably take a while…”

He hesitated and looked at Giannini.

“If I decide that the court will adjourn until Monday and accommodate your wishes insofar as I see no reason to keep your client in custody any longer – which would mean that you could expect that, no matter what else happens, she will not be given a prison sentence – can you guarantee that she will appear for continued proceedings when summoned?”

“Of course,” Palmgren said quickly.

“No,” Salander said in a sharp voice.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the person who was at the heart of the entire drama.

“What do you mean by that?” Judge Iversen said.

“The moment you release me I’m going to leave the country. I do not intend to spend one more minute of my time on this trial.”

“You would refuse to appear?”

“That is correct. If you want me to answer more questions, then you’ll have to keep me in prison. The moment you release me, this story is settled as far as I’m concerned. And that does not include being available for an indefinite time to you, to Ekström, or to any police officers.”

Judge Iversen sighed. Palmgren looked bewildered.

“I agree with my client,” Giannini said. “It is the government and the authorities who have committed crimes against Lisbeth Salander, not the other way around. At the very least she deserves to be able to walk out of that door with an acquittal and the chance to put this whole story behind her.”

No compromises .

Judge Iversen glanced at his watch.

“It is 3.00. That means that you’re going to force me to keep your client in custody.”

“If that’s your decision, then we accept it. As Fröken Salander’s representative I request that she be acquitted of the charges brought by Prosecutor Ekström. I request that you release my client without restrictions, and without delay. And I request that her previous declaration of incompetence be rescinded and that her civil rights be immediately restored.”

“The matter of the declaration of incompetence is a significantly longer process. I would have to get statements from psychiatric experts after she has been examined. I cannot simply make a snap decision about that.”

“No,” Giannini said. “We do not accept that.”

“Why not?”

“Lisbeth Salander must have the same civil rights as any other citizen of Sweden. She has been the victim of a crime. She was falsely declared incompetent. We have heard evidence of that falsification. The decision to place her under guardianship therefore lacks a legal basis and must be unconditionally rescinded. There is no reason whatsoever for my client to submit to a psychiatric examination. No-one else has to prove that they are not mentally ill if they are the victim of a crime.” Judge Iversen considered the matter for a moment. “Advokat Giannini, I realize that this is an exceptional situation. I’m calling a recess of fifteen minutes so that we can stretch our legs and gather our thoughts. I have no wish that your client be kept in custody tonight if she is innocent, but that means that this trial will have to continue today until we are done.”

“That sounds good to me,” said Giannini.

Blomkvist hugged his sister. “How did it go?”

“Mikael, I was brilliant against Teleborian. I annihilated him.”

“I told you you’d be unbeatable. When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it’s about violence against women, and the men who enable it. From what little I heard and saw, you were phenomenal. She’s going to be acquitted.”

“You’re right. There’s no longer any doubt”

Judge Iversen banged his gavel.

“Could you please sum up the facts from beginning to end, so that I can get a clear picture of what actually happened?”

“Let’s begin,” Giannini said, “with the astounding story of a group within the Security Police who call themselves ‘the Section’, and who got hold of a Soviet defector in the mid-’70s. The story is published today in Millennium magazine. I imagine it will be the lead story on all the news broadcasts this evening…”

At 6.00 that evening Judge Iversen decided to release Salander and to revoke her declaration of incompetence.

But the decision was made on one condition: Judge Iversen demanded that Salander submit to an interview in which she would formally testify to her knowledge of the Zalachenko affair. At first she refused. This refusal brought about a moment’s wrangling until Judge Iversen raised his voice. He leaned forward and fixed his gaze on Salander.

“Fröken Salander, if I rescind your declaration of incompetence, that will mean that you have exactly the same rights as all other citizens. It also means that you have the same obligations. It is therefore your duty to manage your finances, pay taxes, obey the law, and assist the police in investigations of serious crimes. So I am summoning you to be questioned like any other citizen who has information that might be vital to an investigation.”

The force of this logic seemed to sink in. She pouted and looked cross, but she stopped arguing.

“When the police have interviewed you, the leader of the preliminary investigation – in this case the Prosecutor General – will decide whether you will be summoned as a witness in any future legal proceedings. Like any other Swedish citizen, you can refuse to obey such a summons. How you act is none of my concern, but you do not have carte blanche . If you refuse to appear, then like any other adult you may be charged with obstruction of justice or perjury. There are no exceptions.”