Russia sentences Norwegian charged with espionage to 14 years

A Moscow court on Tuesday convicted a retired Norwegian border guard who was charged with spying on Russian nuclear submarines and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.

Frode Berg, 63, was detained in Moscow in 2017 following a sting operation by Russia's FSB security service.

A former Russian police officer was accused of handing Berg files on the Russian navy and given a 13-year prison term in December.

Berg has admitted to acting several times as a courier for the Norwegian intelligence services but said he thought he was only carrying money.

The verdict was read out in front of journalists in the Moscow court room on Tuesday, the only time the case was open to the media.

Berg's lawyer Ilya Novikov said after the sentencing that his client was not planning to appeal.

"Berg has no illusions, he accepted (the verdict) calmly. He expects his government to undertake diplomatic efforts," Novikov said. "We see no practical use in appealing."

- 'Basically a life sentence' -

He said before the verdict that an effort had probably been made to gather intelligence but that Berg was unaware of it.

"He's been used without his knowledge," Novikov said. "We cannot talk about gathering any secret information."

He warned that Berg might not survive a lengthy prison sentence in Russia.

"He's 63 and in the conditions of Russian prisons that's basically a life sentence."

Novikov said he hoped diplomatic efforts could persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign a presidential pardon so Berg could be released and go home.

The case was raised during a meeting between Putin and Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg in Saint Petersburg last week.

Asked about the possibility of Berg being pardoned, Putin said: "A person can only be pardoned if he has been convicted. He has not been convicted yet."

Novikov said that the fact that Putin spoke publicly about the case with the Norwegian prime minister was "probably a good sign" for his client.

Foreigners convicted of espionage have "a chance for their case to be resolved on some political level", the lawyer said, though he added: "We know nothing of what is going on behind the scenes."

NATO member Norway normally enjoys good relations with neighbouring Russia, with which it shares a short land border.

But relations have grown more tense since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and a pro-Russian insurgency erupted in eastern Ukraine.

In recent years Russia has broadened its definition of treason and espionage, alarming rights groups. Espionage is punishable in Russia by up to 20 years in prison.

In another high-profile case, former US Marine Paul Whelan was detained in late December and charged with espionage.

His lawyer said Whelan was handed a USB drive containing state secrets but he had thought it was information about Russian culture.

Woman arrested at Trump resort seemed up to 'something nefarious': judge
Miami (AFP) April 16, 2019 - A US federal judge on Monday said that a Chinese woman who allegedly brought malicious software to President Donald Trump's Florida resort seemed to be "up to something nefarious," denying her bail as she awaits trial.

On March 30, Zhang Yujing was arrested at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump was on one of his frequent visits, after attempting to enter while carrying multiple mobile phones and a thumb drive containing malware, according to court documents.

"It does appear to the court that Ms. Zhang was up to something nefarious," Judge William Matthewman said during her hearing, the Miami Herald reported.

He determined that the woman, aged 33, "must be detained as a serious risk of flight or nonappearance," court documents said.

Zhang is not accused of espionage, but is charged with making false statements to federal officers after first claiming to be a member who wanted to use the pool, and then saying she was attending a non-existent Chinese-American friendship event.

She is also charged with knowingly entering a restricted building -- which Mar-a-Lago becomes while Trump is in residence. She has pleaded not guilty.

"(The) defendant's charges are very serious and appear to have a direct nexus to unlawfully accessing a location where the president, his family, and his staff were located or were thought to be located," Matthewman said in the court documents.

If convicted, Zhang faces up to a five-year sentence and a $250,000 fine.

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