Russian prosecutors seek 18-year sentence for ex-Marine ...

may additionally 25, 2020, 6:38 PM

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The trial of Paul Whelan, the former united states Marine held in Russia on spying charges, wrapped up in a Moscow court on Monday, with legal professionals making their closing arguments and Russian prosecutors asking the courtroom to sentence Whelan to 18 years in a Russian detention center colony — close to the optimum feasible sentence for espionage.

The choose is expected to provide a verdict at a June 15 listening to.

"The prosecutor requested for a extremely complicated punishment, 18 years in a excessive-security prison," Whelan's Russian lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, observed after the listening to on Monday.

Whelan, a safety director for the American auto materials business enterprise BorgWarner, became arrested in his lodge room in late December 2018 via Russia's FSB home intelligence carrier while he was travelling Moscow for a chum's marriage ceremony.

when you consider that then he has been held within the metropolis's Lefortovo penal complex, which residences suspected spies and high-profile prisoners.

Whelan's family and his lawyers have insisted that he's not a secret agent and have accused Russia of framing the 50-yr-old with the intention to use him as a political bargaining chip.

Whelan's case is classed as secret and Russian authorities have under no circumstances publicly described what he is accused of. The trial began in mid-April and has been held behind closed doors. The coronavirus lockdown has prevented journalists from even being existing on the court docket constructing.

however the outlines of the case have emerged from Whelan's attorneys and thru leaks to the Russian media. based on them, Whelan is accused of receiving categorised materials from a longtime Russian chum on behalf of U.S. intelligence.

Whelan's attorneys have observed basically these fees are primarily based round a crude frame up, set up by using Whelan's chum who became working with the FSB.

The buddy, they observed, introduced a reminiscence card to Whelan's inn room in December 2018 consult with which Whelan had believed would contain pictures of a trip both had taken the outdated iciness to a monastery town near Moscow.

in its place, unknown to Whelan, it contained the labeled substances, and minutes after it became given to him FSB agents burst in and detained him.

within the days earlier than the sting, the chum had all at once picked Whelan up at the airport when he arrived, Zherebenkov spoke of, and had plied him with whiskey. He had secretly recorded Whelan, while making an attempt to guide him to claim incriminating issues, the attorney observed.

during this Oct. 24, 2019, file photograph, Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of espionage and arrested in Russia in December 2018, holds a message as he stands inner a defendants' cage earlier than a listening to at the Lefortovo court docket in Moscow.

in this Oct. 24, 2019, file photograph, Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of espionage and arrested in Russia in December 2018, holds a message as he stands inside a defendants' cage before a hearing at the Lefortovo court in Moscow.Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP by way of Getty photos, FILE

The lawyers have not named the chum due to the trial's secrecy suggestions, asserting best that he works in the Russian safety capabilities. however Whelan's members of the family have named him as Ilya Yatsenko, somebody Whelan had commonplace for 10 years. remaining week, the Russian newspaper Kommersant said he was an immense in the FSB's branch 'k', the effective unit chargeable for combating economic crimes.

Yatsenko has testified twice in courtroom. final week, Whelan testified that he believes his pal became stimulated to betray him in part because he owed Whelan over $1,000 for 2 iPhones he purchased for him, Zherebenkov said.

Whelan, who left the Marines on a nasty-conduct discharge in 2007, is a self-described Russophile, who had traveled for years to Russia on holidays and had made many pals there, based on his household. besides the U.S., he additionally holds Irish, British and Canadian citizenship.

In his closing remark on Monday, Whelan advised the choose he greatly respected Russian lifestyle and had in no way conducted any spying recreation, Zherebenkov mentioned.

the united states in contemporary months has time and again known as on Russia to unencumber Whelan, asserting it has on no account provided any evidence to guide his detention.

Former U.S. intelligence officers have spoke of Whelan does not healthy the profile of an American secret agent and have spoke of his case resembles that of classic KGB stings all through the cold conflict.

there was speculation that Russia might also have seized Whelan with the hope of exchanging him for Russians imprisoned within the U.S. on crook convictions. ultimate year, Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly denied Russia engaged in hostage-taking but then noted that any change may most effective be viable as soon as Whelan was convicted.

Whelan's different Russian lawyer, Olga Karlova, told ABC information final week that Whelan hoped the U.S. would are seeking to abruptly trade him after his conviction. but she pointed out there changed into no indication that might ensue.