Former army chief Momcilo Perisic sentenced to 3 years in prison on espionage charges

The Higher Court in Belgrade today sentenced the former chief of the Yugoslav Army General Staff, retired General Momcilo Perisic to three years in prison on charges of espionage, i.e., for revealing secret information to a US intelligence officer.

Beside Perisic, Miodrag Sekulic and Vladan Vlajkovic have also been sentenced - to one and a half years in prison each.

This is the first first instance verdict in this case, passed more than 18 years after the process was initiated back in 2002.

Both the defense and the prosecution have the right to appeal against the ruling before to the Appellate Court in Belgrade.

Although the entire trial took place behind closed doors to protect military and state secrets, the verdict was announced publicly today in the building of the Special Court, and Perisic was in the room as the decision was read.

Court excludes public

The court excluded the public at the beginning of the trial at the request of the prosecution, in order to maintain the secrecy of data, although the defense for the accused opposed it.

The "Spy Affair" procedure was initiated by the former military judiciary in March 2002, but Perisic at the time invoked his immunity as a member of parliament.

The case was reactivated in 2004, but was then suspended the following year due to Perisic going to The Hague tribunal, where he was on trial for war crimes, and where he was acquitted of all charges in 2013.

The espionage case in Serbia was reactivated once again in 2014.

Perisic was arrested on March 14, 2002, in a restaurant on the outskirts of Belgrade, on suspicion that he was "disclosing confidential information to a US intelligence officer," who invoked his diplomatic immunity.

The proceedings originally took place before the military judiciary which has since been abolished, and continued before the criminal department of the Higher Court in Belgrade.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)