Holger Axel Gustaf Romander (6 March 1921 – 25 January 2020) was a Swedish civil servant. He served as the

Prosecutor-General of Sweden The Prosecutor-General of Sweden () is the department head for the Swedish Prosecution Authority responsible for the daily operations, the highest-ranked prosecutor in the country, and the only public prosecutor in the Supreme Court of Sweden, Supr ...

from 1966 to 1978 and as the National Police Commissioner from 1978 to 1987.

Early life

Romander was born on 6 March 1921 in Boden, Sweden, the son of Lieutenant Colonel Nils Romander and his wife Ester (née Steinbeck). He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

in 1943 and a

Candidate of Law Candidate ( or ) is the name of various academic degrees, which are today mainly awarded in Scandinavia. The degree title was phased out in much of Europe through the 1999 Bologna Process, which has re-formatted academic degrees in Europe. The de ...

degree in 1946.

Career

Romander became a public prosecutor in

Göta Court of Appeal The Göta Court of Appeal (), located in Jönköping, is one of the six appellate courts in the Swedish legal system. The court was established in 1634 during the regency of Queen Christina. It is the second oldest of the Swedish courts of appe ...

in 1949 and served as notary and secretary of the 1st Standing Committee on Laws (''Lagutskottet'') from 1952 to 1955. He had legislative assignments at the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

and the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs in 1956, and from 1958 to 1960. He became assessor in 1958 and ''

hovrättsråd A ''hovrättsråd'' (Swedish) or ''hovioikeudenneuvos'' (Finnish) is a judge of the Swedish or Finnish Court of Appeal (''hovrätt'' or ''hovioikeus''). Until 1789 hovrätt was the highest judicial body in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdo ...

'' in 1961. He served as director of the Swedish Prison Board and acting director general from 1960 to 1964. Romander became head of a legal (law-drafting) division at the Ministry of Justice in 1964 and director general for legal affairs there in 1965. In 1966, Romander was appointed

. He held that position until 1978 when he was appointed National Police Commissioner. During 1983-1984, Romander was personally involved in the investigation of Sweden's greatest blackmail cases, Operation Cobra. In February 1986, the Prime Minister

Olof Palme Sven Olof Joachim Palme (; ; 30 January 1927 – 28 February 1986) was a Swedish politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1969 to 1976 and 1982 to 1986. Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 until as ...

was assassinated, Romander was about to retire, but was asked by the Swedish government to continue working and then came to be the highest police chief during the investigation's first two years. During a turbulent time, when the chief investigator

Hans Holmér Hans Gillis Åke Holmér (28 December 1930 – 4 October 2002) was a Swedish civil servant and author. Holmér served as Chief of the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO) and later Chief Commissioner (''länspolismästare'') of Stockholm County ...

was fired, Romander was also commissioned by the government to take over the investigation together with the Prosecutor General. The government, through

Minister for Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Sten Wickbom Sten Gustaf Wickbom (14 March 1931 – 26 December 2015) was a Swedish civil servant and member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. Wickbom served as the minister for justice from 1983 to 1987. He then became the Governor of Kronoberg County ...

, ordered Romander, despite the failure of the PKK lead, to continue the investigation against the Kurdish organization - with 300 police officers. He left the position of National Police Commissioner in 1987 and was succeeded by

Nils Erik Åhmansson Nils Erik Hjalmar Åhmansson (born 23 May 1941), is a Swedish civil servant. Åhmansson was National Police Commissioner from 1 January 1988 to 20 October 1988. He was chairman of the Swedish Kennel Club from 1993 to 2015. Early life Åhmansso ...

. Romander was then chairman of the Swedish Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (''Brottsskadenämnden'') from 1988 to 1995.

Personal life

In 1955, he married Birgitta Sandelin (born 1929), the daughter of lieutenant colonel Melcher Sandelin and Edith Johnsson. They had one daughter, Viveka (born 1958).

Death

Romander died on 25 January 2020 in

Lidingö Lidingö (), also known in its definite form Lidingön and as Lidingölandet, is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2023, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 48,162. It is the ...

. The funeral took place in Lidingö Church on 6 March 2020.

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romander, Holger 1921 births 2020 deaths Swedish jurists 20th-century Swedish civil servants People from Boden, Sweden