BREAKING NEWS: Habanos Sweden Formally Applies for Liquidation

Elite Trading Scandinavia AB, formerly Habanos Nordic AB, formally decided at a general meeting to enter into voluntary liquidation on July 1, 2026, and notified the Swedish Companies Registration Office (Bolagsverket) on August 3, 2026, which is currently processing the matter.

Published: 2026-07-13, kl. 15:09, Photo: Swedish Companies Registration Office (Bolagsverket)

We use AI and Google Translate for translations, with some review to enhance readability. Pardon the Spanglish.

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Elite Trading Scandinavia AB has appointed attorney Carl-Fredrik Hedenström at CFH Advokatbyrå AB as the liquidator, who has accepted the assignment.

Image 1: Minutes from the general meeting dated July 1, 2026, from the Swedish Companies Registration Office case file.

Elite Trading Scandinavia AB is owned by the Cuban tobacco monopoly and Chen Zhi, who has been in hot water since September of last year. Chen Zhi was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice (D.O.J.) in October of last year, with approximately 150 billion SEK seized. Elite Trading Scandinavia AB had its tobacco license revoked due to its close ties to Chen Zhi, who has been in Chinese custody since January of this year. In June of this year, China announced that he will be prosecuted and faces the death penalty. Shortly thereafter, in late July, the EU imposed sanctions against Chen Zhi, who has also been on OFAC's sanctions list since October of last year.

Image 2: Application for voluntary liquidation dated July 27, 2026, from the Swedish Companies Registration Office case file (received on August 3, 2026).

For nearly two decades, Elite Trading Scandinavia AB has held exclusive rights to market Cuban cigars in Sweden, Denmark (including the Faroe Islands and Greenland), Norway, Finland, Iceland, as well as Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

With this liquidation, approximately 120 million SEK in annual turnover literally goes up in smoke, along with a profit of 30 million SEK (according to the 2025 annual report, which has not yet been approved).

The Editorial Team

Läs mer om Cigarrvärldens kubagranskningar:

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25 October 2025 - DOJ Tightens Noose On Owner Behind Cuban Cigar Giant

26 October 2025 - Prince Groups latest rebuttal published in full

4 November 2025 - Swedish Habanos Importer gets Reprieve to present Chen Zhi's Cambodian tax and criminal records

9 November 2025 - Klarna blacklists Cuba and freezes payments to Swedish cigar dealers?

12 December 2025 - Chen Zhi to be removed from Habanos

7 January 2026 - Breaking News: Habanos Swedens tobacco license revoked

12 January 2026 - Analysis: What are the future prospects for Chen Zhi, Habanos in Sweden & globally?

2 June 2026: The International Crackdown on Habanos: Swedish Distributor Faces Independent Turmoil

5 June 2026 - Cuban Cigars Facing Potential EU Ban Amid Forced Labor Reports

15 June 2026 - BREAKING NEWS: The Courts Verdict - no Swedish tobacco license for HABANOS

4 August 2026 - BREAKING NEWS: EU Sanctions Against Chen Zhi and Prince Group

6 August 2026 - The Consequences of EU Sanctions Against Chen Zhi for Sweden in Particular and the EU in General

12 August 2026 - Habanos' Proximity to Sanctioned Entities and the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR)

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