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Lawyers not planning to challenge sentence for Norwegian spy

Berg was detained in Moscow in December 2017

MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/. Lawyers of Norwegian citizen Frode Berg, who has been sentenced for espionage against Russia, are not planning to challenge the verdict against their client.

"Mr. Berg said he would not appeal the verdict. We see no point in challenging the verdict. Berg announced his plans to ask for pardon after the verdict enters into force," lawyer Ilya Novikov said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Moscow City Court found Berg guilty of spying against Russia, sentencing him to 14 years in a maximum-security prison. The court announced only an introductory and resolutive part of the verdict. The court proceeding on the case was held behind closed doors as the case contains secret files.

Novikov called Berg’s criminal case "a dramatic story," saying that Russian special services had used his client in an unwitting fashion. "I expect that the Norwegian side will make every effort to reach an agreement with Russia at a diplomatic level and solve this issue. A happy end for us will be pardon," he noted.

Espionage case

The Moscow City Court heard Berg’s case during 14 days. The court found that the Norwegian had gathered information about Russian nuclear-powered submarines, which he received from an employee of a Russian defense enterprise who acted under control of special services. According to the public prosecutor, Berg cooperated with Norway’s intelligence service for a monetary reward.

Berg was detained in Moscow in December 2017 during a special operation carried out by the Federal Security Service (FSB). According to the lawyers, their client admits he visited Russia acting as a courier for the Norwegian Intelligence Service but did not understand what he was actually doing and was unaware of the possible consequences. Norway’s authorities declined to comment on Berg’s statement.

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