Swedish prosecutors on Wednesday filed bribery charges against six people leading the construction of a new 50,000-seat stadium for the national football team.
The investigation centers on Sune Reinhold, a former city official who is accused of receiving more than 900,000 kronor (nearly $150,000) in illegal compensation from the companies that are building the stadium in Solna, a suburb of Stockholm.
Four top managers for the construction project and the mayor of Solna were charged in the case for approving the payments.
All defendants deny wrongdoing and claim Reinhold was compensated for legal consulting work, prosecutors said.
The 2.8 billion kronor ($454 million) stadium is being built in Solna to replace Rasunda, the current home of the Swedish national team, and is scheduled to be completed in 2012.
Chief prosecutor Alf Johansson said Reinhold, 66, received payments between 2008 and 2010 for consulting work he did for the builders, while he was employed as the most senior civil servant in the city of Solna. Reinhold has since left the post.
Johansson said the consulting services were incompatible with Reinhold's work for the city and violated bribery laws.
Reinhold did not immediately answer calls seeking comment. His lawyer Hans Strandberg was traveling and would not be available for comment Wednesday, his law firm said.
Solna Mayor Lars-Erik Salminen announced he would take a ''time out'' from politics during the investigation but maintained his innocence.
If convicted, the defendants could face prison sentences ranging between six months and six years.
