THE HAGUE: A Dutch court jailed a former foreign ministry worker for 12 years on Tuesday for passing hundreds of sensitive military documents toRussia, including on NATO's activities inAfghanistanandLibya.
"The court rules as proven that he passed confidential documents to theRussian Federationfor years at the request of the Russian intelligence service (SVR)," the court inThe Haguesaid in a statement.
The 61-year-old spy, named only as Raymond P., "perturbed and undermined the interests of theNetherlandsand its allies," the court said.
"He acted purely out of financial interest, to pay off his debts and allow him a certain lifestyle," it said, earning him 72,200 euros between January 2009 and August 2011.
The documents mainly concerned political and military matters in the European Union and NATO, including on the situation inLibya, the EU observer mission toRussia's neighbour Georgia, and missions in Kosovo andAfghanistan.
Prosecutors had asked for a 15-year prison sentence.
The consular worker was arrested atAmsterdam's Schiphol airport a year ago as he was about to board a plane toBangkok.
At the time of his arrest, law enforcement officials found four USB sticks containing sensitive information in a glasses case.
