Annie Borjesson: Mystery death files classified as secret, says Sweden

The Swedish government has refused to fully disclose files related to the mysterious death of Annie Borjesson in Scotland, saying they have been classified as “secret” and doing so may harm “national interests”.

On December 4 2005, Borjesson was discovered face down and fully clothed on Prestwick beach.

The 30-year-old had travelled to Prestwick airport the previous day and intended to fly back home to Sweden.

Both Scottish and Swedish authorities have always cited the most likely cause of death to be drowning by suicide. But Borjesson’s family continue to suspect foul play.

The case was brought into sharp focus in recent weeks by the six-part podcast series What Happened To Annie? from Sky News StoryCast.

A newly released bonus episode hosted by Sky News presenter Jayne Secker, deals with these classified files and is available to download here.

Following a year-long investigation into the case, the Swedish foreign ministry agreed to release documents detailing conversations with Scottish authorities in relation to the suspected suicide. However, information in the files sent has been heavily redacted on the grounds of it being classified.

Explaining why the documents had been redacted, Daniel Andersson from the Swedish foreign ministry wrote: “Information has been deemed classified as secret according to the provision of Chapter 15, section 1 of the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act and has been redacted to the attached file.

“The reason for this is that the information concerns Sweden’s relations with a foreign state and a foreign authority and it can be assumed that a disclosure will damage Sweden’s international relations or, in other ways harm national interests.”

Guje Borjesson, Annie’s mother, told Sky News she is “troubled” by this position along with the redaction of details in her daughter’s registration of death.

“Even the ’cause of death’ has been hidden,” she said.

Despite the unexplained circumstances surrounding her death, the Scottish Crown Office never granted Annie Borjesson an inquest, or a FAI (Fatal Accident Inquiry) as it is termed in Scotland. Ever since, the case has been coloured by conspiracy theories.

In 2014, The Scottish Mail on Sunday published a news story which made associations between Annie and alleged CIA rendition flights through Prestwick airport in 2005.

Significantly, it emerged that Annie shared a similar name to that of an award-winning US journalist – Kristina Borjesson – who has a long history of holding US national security agencies, like the CIA, to account.

No evidence has emerged in relation to this link.

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But in a related development, Scottish MSPs have in recent days called for further investigation into the use of Scottish airports for so-called rendition flights and the transport of terror suspects.

Both the UK and US governments continue to deny the existence of such flights through Scotland.

Speaking to Sky News this week, Guje Borjesson confirmed she is appealing to the Swedish authorities to now release all the files related to her daughter’s death.

“I demand that they do, these documents are about my daughter,” she said. “I am not anybody, I am her mother.”

Mrs Borjesson said that since the series broadcast, she has stepped up her efforts to retrieve unseen evidence in the form of her daughter’s post-mortem photographs.

The Scottish Crown Office has so far refused to release these images to the family. In November, Sky News was also refused on the grounds that it was not in the public interest.

The family has always believed Scottish authorities were premature in determining Annie’s cause of death and that these photos may contain crucial evidence.

Notably, in one unredacted document, which was filed just a day after Annie died, embassy officials outlined how the authorities suspected suicide, despite the fact no post-mortem had then been conducted.

In another instance, the family expressed concern over a supplied file document related to Annie, but marked with a date that predated her death.

Sky News has sought clarification on this matter with the Scottish Crown Office and is currently waiting for a reply.

Referring to the spike in interest in her daughter’s case, Guje added:

“There is a public interest now and we are the family, so they should really take that into consideration. We are still motivated to get Annie an inquest. That would force the Crown Office to sharpen up and put all the facts on the table. We are not afraid of that.”

Annie Borjesson moved to Edinburgh in 2004 to study English.

On the weekend she died, 3/4 December 2005, she was filmed on CCTV leaving Prestwick international train station and, soon after, entering the main terminal at the airport itself.

However, after spending less than five minutes in the building, she left suddenly, without ever checking in for that evening’s Ryanair flight to Sweden. Less than 24 hours later, her body was discovered by a dog walker on nearby Prestwick beach.

Her passport, wallet, clothes and some books belonging to a Swedish library were found in a bag beside her body. That night, according to Borjesson family, they were paid a visit by Swedish police who explained the most likely cause of death to be suicide.

A statement sent by Police Scotland to Sky News said: “We understand how distressing this must be for family and friends. Annie Borjesson’s death was fully investigated at the time and has also been subject to review.

“Throughout this process, regular updates were provided to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. There is no information or evidence at this time to suggest there is any criminality surrounding her death.”

(c) Sky News 2020: Annie Borjesson: Mystery death files classified as secret, says Sweden