ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that it was premature to discuss the possibility of pardoning Norwegian national Frode Berg, charged with espionage against Russia, since the court had not announced its ruling yet.
Berg, a retired Norwegian border agent, was arrested in Moscow in December while receiving secret information from a Russian citizen who worked at a defense company and acted under the Federal Security Service's supervision. Berg, aged 63, is charged with having collected data about Russian nuclear submarines on instruction of the Norwegian intelligence service. The Russian prosecution seeks a 14-years jail term for him.
"[We should] wait for the court hearing. In our country, like in any other country, it is the court that defines the punitive measure and rules whether a person is guilty or innocent. All depends on the court's decision. We will then see what can be done ... Listen, one can only pardon a person who has been convicted, and he has not been convicted yet," Putin told Norwegian reporters during his bilateral meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, held on the sidelines of the International Arctic Forum in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.
The court ruling in Berg's case will be announced on April 16.
