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Norwegian Berg convicted of spying against Russia appeals for pardon

On April 16, the Moscow city court found Frode Berg guilty of spying against Russia and sentenced him to 14 years in a maximum security penitentiary

MOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. Norwegian subject Frode Berg who was convicted of espionage against Russia has appealed for pardon, his defense attorney Ilya Novikov told TASS.

"Yes, that is true. He appealed for pardon," the lawyer said, refusing to provide any further comments.

On April 16, the Moscow city court found Frode Berg guilty of spying against Russia and sentenced him to 14 years in a maximum security penitentiary.

After the verdict was delivered, Novikov told TASS that his client would appeal for pardon when the sentence legally comes into force. The lawyer described the Berg case as a "dramatic story" and also claimed that Russian security services might have been using Berg and expressed hope that Norway would make every effort possible to resolve the issue diplomatically with Russia. Then, he used the phrase "happy end" to describe Berg’s pardon.

Frode Berg was arrested in Moscow on December 5, 2017 in the FSB special operation. His defense attorneys Ilya Novikov and Brynjulf Risnes said that Berg admitted to travelling to Russia as the request of the Norwegian military intelligence agency’s officers, acting as a courier without a clear understanding of what he was doing and without realizing possible consequences of his actions. According to the results of the investigation, Berg had been gathering information about Russian nuclear submarines, which he obtained from a defense industry employee acting under the control of special services. The prosecutor said Berg worked for the Norwegian intelligence service for remuneration.

The court also ordered to seize the evidence in the form of 15,000 euros and award it to the state.

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