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| The Trustor Scandal Changed His Life, But Where Is Richard Djursén Today? |
Nearly three decades after the Trustor scandal shook Sweden's financial world, Richard Djursén is once again back in the spotlight thanks to Netflix's documentary Inside the Trustor Scandal. Once known as the vice president caught in one of the country's most talked-about corporate controversies, Djursén now spends his days serving wine instead of answering questions about missing millions. It is a plot twist few would have predicted back in 1997, when his name regularly appeared in newspaper headlines.
The documentary revisits the dramatic takeover of Swedish investment company Trustor, a deal that quickly descended into one of Sweden's most notorious financial scandals.
Through fresh interviews with several people involved, including Djursén himself, viewers are given another opportunity to hear competing versions of what really happened behind closed boardroom doors. As expected, opinions remain divided, proving that time does not always settle old arguments.
According to Richard Djursén, his journey into the financial industry began far more casually than many might imagine. He recalled meeting businessman Thomas Jisander at a gym, where what appeared to be an exciting opportunity soon followed.
Surrounded by international business meetings and expensive suits, he admitted he believed he had entered a glamorous world. The reality, he now says, was rather less cinematic.
Instead of making major financial decisions, Djursén insisted he mostly handled everyday errands and administrative jobs for Jisander and several associates.
He claimed he knew very little about the company's complex financial dealings, describing himself as someone trusted with practical tasks rather than executive strategy. Sometimes life promises a corner office and quietly hands over the shopping list instead.
As public scrutiny intensified during the summer of 1997, lavish spending linked to people surrounding the Trustor takeover attracted increasing attention from investigators and journalists alike.
While others became the focus of speculation, Djursén maintained that he simply continued carrying out routine work, unaware of the financial activity that would soon dominate headlines across Sweden.
Everything changed when police launched a criminal investigation later that year. Djursén was questioned by investigators and repeatedly told both officers and journalists that he had done nothing unlawful.
In November 1997, authorities informed him that he was suspected of involvement in gross breach of trust and gross embezzlement linked to a payment of approximately 1.2 million Swedish kronor.
The legal process stretched on for years. By January 2001, Djursén formally faced charges of gross embezzlement, but after lengthy court proceedings, he was acquitted in June 2002.
The court did not convict him of any criminal offence, and Djursén has consistently argued that the verdict reflected what he had maintained from the beginning—that he had no knowledge of the wider financial scheme and had never knowingly participated in any wrongdoing.
One of the documentary's more personal moments comes when Djursén reflects emotionally on how the investigation reshaped his life.
Rather than presenting himself as a powerful executive, he describes being an ordinary man whose biggest ambition was owning a home and building a stable future. Instead, he found himself associated with a scandal that followed him for years, whether he liked it or not.
Although acquitted in criminal court, the legal story did not end there. Civil proceedings later brought another challenge after Trustor claimed that company funds had been transferred into Djursén's account and alleged he had received money from Thomas Jisander.
In November 2003, a district court ordered Djursén to pay around 4 million Swedish kronor to his former employer. The dispute continued for years before both parties eventually reached a settlement around 2011.
Under that agreement, Djursén no longer had to pay the disputed amount, while he withdrew his own counterclaim seeking 10 million kronor from the company. After years of courtroom battles, both sides apparently decided enough paperwork was enough.
His legal efforts continued elsewhere. Djursén later requested approximately 9 million kronor in compensation from the Swedish state, arguing that the investigation had lasted nearly eight years and breached his right to a reasonable legal process under the European Convention on Human Rights.
He also claimed remarks made publicly by the lead prosecutor had damaged both his professional reputation and future career opportunities. In June 2006, however, Sweden's Chancellor of Justice rejected his compensation claim.
Rather than remaining trapped by his past, Richard Djursén gradually built an entirely different professional life. In 2003, alongside his wife Linnéa Djursén, he helped establish Folkhemmet, a furniture and home décor business.
While Linnéa took on the role of chief executive, Richard focused on sales and business development as the company steadily expanded throughout the Stockholm region.
By 2009, Folkhemmet had grown into a recognised retail chain with several stores. Like many businesses, it faced difficult moments, including the bankruptcy of seven outlets in 2011.
Yet the brand survived, reorganised and continued trading. Today, Svenska Folkhemmet Möbler & Inredning AB remains active, showing that business setbacks do not always write the final chapter.
Throughout the following years, Djursén stayed involved as a board member while also participating in other family-owned ventures, including Addvalue Consulting i Täby AB and Svenska Open Workspace AB. In 2017, he became one of the public faces promoting Folkhemmet's expansion into online retail as the company adapted to changing consumer habits.
A significant turning point arrived in 2024 when Djursén sold the furniture business to pursue something completely different. Together with Linnéa and two business partners, he opened Brasserie Le Galopin, a French brasserie and wine bar in Täby Park. He has described the restaurant as a dream the couple had shared for around fifteen years, finally becoming reality after decades spent in other industries.
Today, customers are more likely to find Richard Djursén recommending a bottle of wine than discussing financial investigations. Friends, family dinners and welcoming guests have replaced courtrooms and newspaper headlines. After years of legal battles, swapping legal files for wine glasses probably feels like a fairly decent career move.
Away from business, Richard and Linnéa Djursén continue to focus on family life with their four children—Ludwig, Mauritz, William and Clara. Several of their children have also become involved in the family's business interests, serving as board members across different holding companies established over the years. The family's entrepreneurial approach appears to remain very much alive.
Travel has also become a major part of the couple's lifestyle. They visited the Great Barrier Reef in early 2025 before travelling to Singapore and New Zealand during March 2026. More recently, they spent time exploring Germany in July 2026, reflecting a chapter of life focused less on corporate boardrooms and more on collecting memorable experiences.
Viewers watching Inside the Trustor Scandal have reacted in very different ways. Some believe Richard Djursén comes across as someone whose life was permanently shaped by an investigation despite ultimately being acquitted of criminal charges.
Others remain sceptical, arguing that documentaries naturally present only selected perspectives and that one interview cannot settle every lingering question surrounding the complex Trustor affair. Many viewers, meanwhile, simply appreciate hearing directly from someone who rarely spoke publicly for years.
For Richard Djursén, life today looks dramatically different from the one that made him a familiar name in Sweden during the late 1990s. Whether audiences fully accept his version of events or remain unconvinced, his story has evolved from court hearings and corporate headlines to family businesses, travel and running a neighbourhood wine bar.
With Netflix introducing the Trustor affair to a new generation, debate around his role is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Do you think Richard Djursén has finally turned the page, or does the Trustor scandal remain impossible to leave behind? Share your thoughts and join the conversation.