Secretary of State appointed by Swedish Prime Minister resigns for illegal eel fishing

Jan. 26 () –

Peter Magnus Nilsson, the Secretary of State appointed by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, resigned on Thursday after being embroiled in a scandal over illegally catching endangered European eels.

“I want to thank Ulf Kristersson for his confidence, his warm leadership and his cheerful humor. I have a fantastic staff with whom it was fun to work. I have learned a lot in an admittedly too short but very intense time,” he stated on his official Facebook profile. .

Swedish Police are investigating Nilsson, appointed to the position at the end of October, for crimes related to the protection of species after it was reported that he caught at least fifteen eels in 2021.

The already resigned Secretary of State, who will have to pay a fine of 39,000 Swedish crowns, has claimed that he apologized for what happened and that he understands the “inappropriateness of the situation”. Eel fishing is strictly regulated in Sweden and since 2007 a total ban has been applied to recreational fishermen without a special permit, according to various Swedish media.