The Justice Ministry has decided to hand over a hitherto confidential security memorandum, which resulted in a senior Social Democrat having to relinquish hopes of the finance ministry portfolio after the last election.

Henrik Sass Larsen had been mooted as favourite for the post of finance minister following last September’s election. When it became clear his security clearance had been withdrawn, he withdrew from government-forming negotiations as a close confidant of Helle Thorning-Schmidt and retired to the back benches.

In addition to handing over the secret memorandum, the Justice Ministry also Monday decided to free Sass Larsen from orders to remain silent in connection with the content of the security clearance memorandum.

Monday’s developments came shortly after the Parliamentary Ombudsman criticised the government’s handling of the case. Among other issues, the Ombudsman criticised the fact that Sass Larsen had only been ordered orally to refrain from commenting on the content.

“I have decided that the memorandum from the meeting at the prime minister’s office on September 28 last year should be released to Henrik Sass Larsen. The decision should be seen in the light of the Ombudsman’s statement in which he questions the validity of the order to remain silent that was issued to Henrik Sass Larsen at the meeting,” Justice Minister Morten Bødskov says.

The copy of the memorandum to be handed over to Sass Larsen has been censored to remove certain sensitive elements of information, but Bødskov says Sass Larsen will be able to see the entire memorandum at the Justice Ministry.

The Prime Minister’s Office says it has taken the Ombudsman’s criticism ad notam.

According to previous statements by Sass Larsen, the two-page memorandum involves, among other things, details of a meeting in Køge at which biker Torben Ohlsen-Jensen, aka Suzuki-Torben, was present. It is not clear whether other issues were involved in the withdrawal of Sass Larsen’s security clearance.

Henrik Sass Larsen has since returned to the top echelon of the Social Democratic Party as his party’s chief whip.

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