The Svea Court of Appeal in Sweden has upheld a lower court ruling acquitting three Afghan-born individuals of the murder of Ako Abbas, a 37-year-old man whose dismembered body was discovered in a suitcase in a wooded area on Värmdö in March 2024.
The verdict leaves no one convicted of the killing itself, despite significant circumstantial evidence and allegations of an honor-related motive. All three defendants, however, were convicted of lesser charges related to the killing.
The case drew national attention when Abbas’s body was found on March 10, 2024. As reported by the Samnytt news site, the investigation led to charges against three people: 24-year-old Wajiha Korashi, her brother Sayed Rija Korashi, and her husband’s brother Saeed Waziri.
A fourth individual, Wajiha’s husband, Farid Vaziri, is still at large and remains the main murder suspect. His DNA was found at the crime scene, and he is wanted internationally.
Prosecutors argued that the crime was driven by honor-based motives, pointing to Abbas’s relationship with Wajiha Korashi, who was married at the time. Concerns were raised that Abbas possessed compromising photos and videos of her.
However, both courts found the evidence for an explicit honor motive inconclusive. While cultural and familial pressure may have formed part of the background, the courts concluded that honor was not sufficiently proven as the primary motive.
The court also found, despite the nature of the killing and the suspects’ alleged involvement in events before and after the attack, that the evidence was not sufficient to prove who committed the actual murder. Both courts determined that while the defendants played roles in related criminal acts, the threshold for a murder conviction had not been met.
Wajiha Korashi was sentenced instead to two years and three months in prison for aiding and abetting aggravated assault and aggravated violation of grave peace. The Court of Appeal concluded she had lured Abbas to the scene, helped pack his body, and organized her escape with assistance from others.
Saeed Waziri was given one year and eight months for aggravated grave peace violation, and Sayed Rija Korashi received one year and six months for protection of a criminal and attempted aggravated fraud, after helping his sister flee and assisting in securing false documents.
Efforts to deport Wajiha Korashi after her prison term were also rejected. Although she is not a Swedish citizen, the court found that returning her to Afghanistan would pose a serious risk of gender-based persecution and discrimination. The two men involved also could not be deported, as they now hold Swedish citizenship.
The suspected killer, Farid Vaziri, remains on the run. Authorities believe he played a central role in the killing, helped dispose of the body, and fled the country alongside Wajiha.
An international arrest warrant is in effect, but his whereabouts are unknown.
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