Serbian General Convicted as American Spy

The Higher Court in Belgrade today sentenced the former Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, retired General Momčilo Perišić, to three years in prison for espionage, that is, for divulging secret information to an American intelligence officer.

In addition to Perišić, Miodrag Sekulić and Vladan Vlajković were also sentenced, each to one and a half years in prison.

This is the first first-instance verdict in this case, more than 18 years after the proceedings were initiated in 2002.

Both the defense and the prosecution have the right to appeal this verdict to the Appellate Court in Belgrade.

Although the entire trial was conducted without public presence to protect military and state secrets, the verdict was publicly announced today in the building of the Special Court, and Perišić was present at its announcement.

Otherwise, the court excluded the public at the beginning of the trial at the request of the prosecution, in order to preserve the secrecy of information, although the defense of the accused opposed it.

The proceedings for the "spy affair" were initiated by the former military judiciary in March 2002, but Perišić then invoked parliamentary immunity.

It was reactivated in 2004, but was interrupted the following year due to Perišić's departure to the Hague Tribunal, where he was tried for war crimes, which concluded in 2013 with an acquittal.

The espionage proceedings were reactivated again in 2014.

Perišić was arrested on March 14, 2002, in a restaurant on the outskirts of Belgrade, on suspicion of "divulging confidential information to American intelligence officer John Neighbor," who then invoked diplomatic immunity.

The proceedings were initially conducted before the military judiciary, which has since been abolished, and are now before the criminal division of the Higher Court in Belgrade.