Swedish Supreme Court justice fined for shoplifting meatballs

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — A Supreme Court justice in Sweden has been fined for shoplifting a Christmas ham and meatballs among other items, the prosecutor in the case said Thursday.

The 67-year-old woman was caught by staff at a grocery store in central Stockholm a week before Christmas.

"I have issued a fine regarding the crime of petty theft, previously known as shoplifting," chief public prosecutor Per Nichols told AFP.

The judge resigned from her post in February—when reports emerged that she was being investigated—after having served two decades on the bench.

Among other things, she had tried to hide a Christmas ham, meatballs, sausages and cheese in a woven bag by covering them with another bag, according to legal news outlet Dagens Juridik.

The judge admitted to the facts but denied any intention to steal the groceries, and was issued a fine of  50,000 Swedish kronor ($5,400, €4,800), Nichols added. — Agence France-Presse