dingdecentcitizens.Butthatwastheonlycontributiontheeditorinchiefmadeduringthedebate.
ThatnighttheMillenniumeditorialofficeswerefullystaffed.Aordingtotheirplans,onlyBergerandthenewmanagingeditor,MalinEriksson,wereduetobetheretohandleanycalls.Butby10:00p.m.theentirestaffwasstillthere,andtheyhadalsobeenjoinedbynofewerthanfourformerstaffmembersandhalfadozenregularfreelancers.AtmidnightMalmopenedabottleofchampagne.Thatwaswhenanoldacquaintancesentoveranadvancecopyfromoneoftheeveningpapers,whichdevotedsixteenpagestotheWennerstr?maffairundertheheadliHEFINANCIALMAFIA.Whentheeveningpaperscameoutthenextday,amediafrenzyerupted,thelikesofwhichhadseldombeenseenbefore.
ErikssonconcludedthatshewasgoingtoenjoyworkingatMillennium.
Duringthefollowingweek,theSwedishStockExchangetrembledasthesecuritiesfraudpolicebeganinvestigating,prosecutorswerecalledin,andapanickysellingspreesetin.TwodaysafterthepublicationtheMinisterofmercemadeastatementon“theWennerstr?maffair.”
Thefrenzydidnotmean,however,thatthemediaswallowedMillennium’sclaimswithoutcriticism—therevelationswerefartooseriousforthat.ButunlikethefirstWennerstr?maffair,thistimeMillenniumcouldpresentaconvincingburdenofproof:Wennerstr?m’sownemailsandcopiesofthecontentsofhisputer,whichcontainedbalancesheetsfromsecretbankassetsintheCaymanIslandsandtwodozenothercountries,secretagreements,andotherblundersthatamorecautiousracketeerwouldneverinhislifehaveleftonhisharddrive.ItsoonbecameclearthatifMillennium’sclaimsheldupinacourtofappeals—andeveryoneagreedthatthecasewouldenduptheresoonerorlater—thenitwasbyfarthebiggestbubbletoburstintheSwedishfinancialworldsincetheKreugercrashof1932.TheWennerstr?maffairmadealltheGotabankimbrogliosandTrustorfraudspaleinparison.Thiswasfraudonsuchagrandscalethatno-oneevendaredtospeculateonhowmanylawshadbeenbroken.
ForthefirsttimeinSwedishfinancialreporting,theterms“anisedcrime,”“Mafia,”and“gangsterempire”wereused.Wennerstr?mandhisyoungstockbrokers,partners,andArmani-cladlawyerseme