MILAN, (Reuters) – Italy’s former military intelligence chief was sentenced to 10 years in jail yesterday for his role in the kidnapping of an Egyptian Muslim cleric in an operation organised by the United States.
An American former CIA station chief was this month sentenced in absentia to seven years in jail after imam Abu Omar was snatched from a Milan street in 2003 and flown to Egypt for interrogation during the United States’ “war on terror”.
The Milan appeals court sentenced Niccolo Pollari, former head of the Sismi military intelligence agency, to 10 years in prison and his former deputy Marco Mancini to nine years.
The court also awarded a provisional 1 million euros in damages to the imam, the Ansa news wire reported, as well as 500,000 euros to the imam’s wife.
Nicola Madia, a lawyer for Pollari, said he was disturbed by the decision and that his client would appeal to Italy’s highest court. Pollari will not have to go to jail until the appeals process has been exhausted.
Madia said Pollari had not been able to defend himself properly because successive Italian governments had declared the case to be covered by state secrecy laws.
