After “laying the cards on the table”, the life-sentenced spy Peyman Kia hopes for a time-limited sentence when the Svea Court of Appeal announces its verdict on Thursday.
His younger brother Payam Kia withdrew his appeal at the last moment and is therefore not covered by the sentence.
– My tip is that the district court’s judgment will be confirmed, says Johanna Björkman, legal expert.
35-year-old Payam Kia, sentenced in the district court to nine years and ten months in prison for aggravated espionage, has admitted that he handed over envelopes at the Russian embassy and collected payment at a library in Uppsala. However, he denies espionage and appealed in the hope of being acquitted.
– I assess the chances of an acquittal as good. If you have full access to this material, which I have, you will see that there is no evidence that my client has committed espionage, said Payam Kia’s defender Björn Sandin to TT after the appeal court hearing ended.
But on May 16, the day before the verdict was to be announced, he withdrew his appeal, which means that the district court verdict stands. The prosecution had asked for 14 years in prison, and according to Sandin, the 35-year-old was afraid of an even more severe sentence.
– Everyone is free to appeal a sentence, with some exceptions, but withdrawing an appeal becomes quite exciting, especially if you look at this sentence. The consequence in this case is that the district court’s verdict stands – and that despite the fact that the prosecutor has stepped in and requested that there be an increase in the penalty, says Johanna Björkman, legal expert.
The Court of Appeal verdict, which thus only applies to Peyman Kia, was postponed until May 25.
Life in prison
Regarding 42-year-old Peyman Kia, who was convicted in the district court of aggravated espionage and unauthorized position with secret information, the prosecutors want the Svea Court of Appeal to confirm the life sentence.
Peyman Kia’s defender Anton Strand argued before the Court of Appeal that the life sentence should be time-limited, among other things, taking into account that the 42-year-old admitted parts of the charges and began to cooperate with the investigators.
The prison sentence should not exceed ten years, according to Strand.
– My view is that a correct sentencing should result in a time-limited prison sentence. Given how the legislation looks, there are other more serious acts of espionage for which the life sentence is intended, he told TT.
The Svea Court of Appeal’s judgment will be announced at 1 p.m.