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South Korean court sentences five Russian sailors to real prison time

The ship owner received 2.5 years of imprisonment, the captain - one year, three more sailors - 10 months each

© Stanislav Varivoda/TASS

SEOUL, March 6. / TASS /. The South Korean court sentenced five Russian sailors from the Palladium ship to real prison time, Russian Federation Consul in Busan Roman Bykov told TASS correspondent on Wednesday.

"Today the sentence was announced. The ship owner received 2.5 years of imprisonment, the captain - one year, three more sailors - 10 months each, and a suspended sentence was imposed on the senior mechanic, which in South Korean practice means a suspended term," the diplomat said.

According to him, the sentence goes into effect in a week, and until then can be appealed. Bykov said that in the near future, employees of the Busan consulate are planning to visit the detention center, where Russians are being held.

The Palladium ship was detained in Busan on August 28, 2018 due to wage arrears. In early September, the ship attempted to leave South Korea without issuing the necessary documents, ignoring the demands of the authorities to return to the port. As a result, it was detained in an operation that involved a coast guard ship and a helicopter with a team of marines. During the arrest, the team resisted the South Korean authorities.

After that, the ship owner, the captain, the senior mechanic and one of the sailors were detained and placed in custody, and two more sailors waited for the court hearing on board the ship.

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