09 Sep 2009

A court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sentenced two Norwegian citizens to death for espionage as well as murder and ordered Oslo to pay $60 million in damages.

A military court in Kisangani found Tjostolv Moland, 28, and Joshua French, 27, guilty of the charges. Both had denied all allegations.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere described the sentence as “completely unacceptable” and said he would protest to his Congolese counterpart, Alexis Thambwe Mwamba, over the verdict.

"Norway also repudiates the verdict of espionage and the decision that the Norwegian state must bear joint and several liability for damages. Norway is not a party in this case," he said in a statement.

The two Norwegian men were held after their Congolese driver was found shot dead on May 5 in the northeast of the country.

The two accused say that their driver was killed in an attack by gunmen near the city of Kisangani.

French was arrested on May 9 in the Epulu district, around 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Kisangani. Moland was arrested two days later in the Ituri district, a few hundred kilometers further northeast.

Moland had reportedly set up a security company in the Ugandan capital Kampala where he had hired French as a member of the staff.


presstv