It was only after the verdict was delivered that Nick Alinia began to check who had judged the case. He then discovered that one of the three lay judges who acquitted Andreas Klominek had ties to the far-left doxing site Expo – an organization that had previously published critical material about him. Judge Céline Holmberg says that anyone aware of a potential conflict of interest is normally obliged to report it. But Social Democratic lay judge Jan-Åke Porseryd does not want to answer whether he knew about the Expo connection.

Samnytt has previously reported on the high-profile verdict in Stockholm District Court where three politically appointed lay judges acquitted left-wing activist Andreas Klominek of assault against right-wing commentator Nick Alinia – while the professional judge on the panel wanted to convict him.

The actual course of events was largely clarified. The court found it proven that Klominek kneed Alinia in the head, causing pain and bodily harm. The majority acquitted him, however, referencing putative self-defense.

Judge Céline Holmberg dissented. She believed that both the arguments for self-defense and putative self-defense had been refuted and wanted to convict Klominek for assault.

The three lay judges who formed the majority were Anna-Sofia Quensel (V), Yvonne Bernhardsson (S), and Jan-Åke Porseryd (S). As Samnytt previously reported, Quensel has a background with Expo.

Quensel has also worked within the Government Offices. According to her own professional profile, she was a researcher at the Ministry of Employment for six months in 2012–2013, where she worked on research for the government’s white paper on abuses and violations against Roma people during the 20th century.

This assignment coincided with her years working as a researcher for the Expo Foundation, where, according to her profile, she was employed from 2011 to 2017. On Expo’s website, however, there is material published in her name as late as 2018, with a focus on the Sweden Democrats.

But one question remained – were the parties aware of the connection and was the issue of disqualification raised at all?

READ ALSO: Expo Woman and S-Politician Acquit Left-Wing Extremist for Knee Attack on Nick Alinia

Alinia Discovered the Connection Afterwards

Nick Alinia tells Samnytt that he had no idea about the Expo connection when the case was decided.

When did you find out that one of the lay judges had ties to Expo – before, during, or only after the verdict?

– After the verdict, I looked up the names then.

What was your first reaction?

– That it’s bizarre but ultimately not all that surprising.

Alinia points out that Expo had previously published a large number of critical articles about him.

– They have an entire category on their website dedicated to negative and false article series about me. Anna-Sofia Quensel also appears in a friendly photo with AFA founder Mathias Wåg, whom I have investigated and been in conflict with several times.

READ ALSO: Citizen Journalist Nick Alinia Attacked by Masked Left-Wing Extremist on May 1st

Working for or being involved with Expo does not in itself automatically mean a person is disqualified. The question is therefore what Alinia specifically believes makes the situation problematic.

– To belong to a far-left organization that has also written negative things about me for years, and also seems friendly with the AFA founder whom I have recently confronted, in my view, is at least sufficiently disqualifying that the court should have been notified. But that’s not for me to decide, of course.

“Should Have Informed the Court”

Alinia says he was not assigned any legal counsel and therefore had no lawyer to discuss the issue with during the case.

Do you think the lay judge herself should have informed the court and the parties about her connection to Expo?

– Yes. I think they are obliged to disclose such things.

At the same time, he recounts another situation during the trial.

– At one point, it was even revealed in the courtroom that one of the court members followed me on Instagram, but the trial could still be held. But that someone works for the far-left Expo was not even brought up.

READ ALSO: Here is the Moderate Planning to Murder Nick Alinia: “Will Kill You in Front of Sweden”

Judge: The Person Who Knows of the Issue Must Report It

Samnytt also contacted Judge Céline Holmberg, who led the trial and wanted to convict Klominek for assault. She does not want to assess whether Quensel’s Expo connection constituted a conflict of interest in this particular case.

– I cannot comment on that. I do not know the circumstances around it.

When asked who is normally responsible for bringing up such a situation, she does, however, give a general answer.

– Normally, it is the person who knows there is a potential conflict of interest who should report it.

If you want to discuss conflicts of interest, I don’t want to discuss it with you. I’ll discuss it with the chairman of that case if I notice there are such situations. But I’m not discussing it with you.

Lay judge Jan-Åke Porseryd (S)

When Samnytt tries to get Holmberg to apply that reasoning to the lay judge in question, she stops.

– I can’t comment in that way. I cannot confirm exactly that statement for you.

Holmberg does not want to comment on whether politically or ideologically committed lay judges in politically sensitive cases risk undermining confidence in the courts.

– I don’t want to comment on those questions.

S Lay Judge Refuses to Answer About Expo

Samnytt then calls Jan-Åke Porseryd (S), one of the three lay judges who sided against Holmberg. The first question is whether he even knew about Alinia before the trial.

Did you know who Nick Alinia was and his political activities before the trial?

– I do as I always do when journalists call asking about trials, I refer to the chairman of the trial. I have nothing else to say about it.

Porseryd also does not want to discuss the issue of conflict of interest.

– If you want to discuss conflicts of interest, I don’t want to discuss it with you. I’ll discuss it with the chairman of that case if I notice there are such situations. But I’m not discussing it with you.

He does, however, give a clear answer to one question.

Are you yourself involved with Expo?

– I am not, no.

As a follow-up: did he know about his fellow lay judge’s connection?

But did you know that Anna-Sofia Quensel was involved in Expo?

– I can’t say anything more about this other than to refer to the chairman when it comes to this case.

READ ALSO: The Media Hunt Against Stegrud: Here Are Expo’s Lies

Thus, Porseryd neither confirms nor denies knowing about the connection.

“That Was News to Me”

Porseryd says he has been a lay judge since 2008. He has previously experienced situations where lay judges and professional judges have ended up on different sides, even though he says it’s not all that common.

I don’t think she did anything wrong; she tried to judge correctly but was outvoted by three political lay judges who aren’t lawyers, which she is. I believe the district court verdict was political. The lay judges overruled the judge for political reasons.

Right-wing commentator Nick Alinia about Judge Céline Holmberg

When Samnytt instead asks why the three lay judges in this case reached a different conclusion than Holmberg, his answer does not change.

– I have nothing more to say. I can’t talk about this case.

Then comes an unexpected response.

Here you have two Social Democrats and a Left Party member with Expo ties judging in a case where the plaintiff is a prominent right-wing figure. Do you want to comment on that?

– I don’t know which parties the different lay judges are from. So I have no comment whatsoever about that.

READ ALSO: Government Appoints Former Expo Top Figure to Chair Swedish National Theatre

When Porseryd is informed that Bernhardsson is a Social Democrat and Quensel is with the Left Party, he responds:

– Yes, but that’s news to me. I don’t know which parties the different lay judges are from.

Alinia: “The Verdict Was Political”

Nick Alinia himself draws much broader conclusions from the circumstances.

Are you saying that the Expo connection actually influenced the verdict – or that it mainly casts doubt on the court’s impartiality?

– Both.

He also stresses that he does not consider the lay judges’ party affiliations to be disqualifying in themselves.

– The fact that there were two Social Democrats and one Left Party member is not in itself a conflict of interest. But having one who works at Expo and that all three joined together to overrule the single legal expert on the panel says a lot.

READ ALSO: Kristoffersson: Expo and SVT in Synchronized Campaign Against Samnytt

Alinia says he understands why Holmberg does not want to comment publicly on the actions of her lay judge colleagues.

– I don’t think she did anything wrong; she tried to judge correctly but was outvoted by three political lay judges who aren’t legal professionals, which she is.

When asked if he believes he got an impartial trial, the answer is clear:

– I believe the verdict handed down by the district court was political. The lay judges overruled the judge for political reasons.

According to Alinia, the prosecutor has appealed the verdict. Thus, the issue of the lay judge’s Expo connection and possible conflict of interest has gained renewed relevance after the district court’s decision.

Samnytt has sought out Anna-Sofia Quensel (V) to get her view on how her background with Expo relates to her involvement in this trial, as well as why she did not inform the judge of that connection.