Russian prosecutors request U.S.-Canadian citizen Paul Whelan serve 18 years in spying case

Russian prosecutors asked a court on Monday to sentence former U.S. marine Paul Whelan, who is on trial accused of spying for the United States, to 18 years in a maximum security prison, his lawyer said.

Whelan, a U.S. national who also holds British, Canadian and Irish passports, was detained in December 2018. He has strenuously denied the charge, saying he was set up in a sting.

The court will announce its verdict on June 15, Whelan's lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov said after Monday's hearing.

"The prosecution has made a very harsh demand. It's absolutely unjustified and groundless. To be honest, we're in shock," Whelan's lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov told reporters after Monday's hearing.

His trial, which began on March 23, has been closed to the public as its content broaches classified information. Many of
the case's details have emerged through his lawyer.

U.S. Ambassador in Moscow John Sullivan said the proceedings amounted to a "secret trial" and a "mockery of justice."

"There is no legitimacy to a procedure that is hidden behind closed doors. It is not transparent, it is not fairand it is not impartial," he said.

Allegations of poor treatment

Whelan, who turned 50 in custody this year, has used his appearances at hearings to allege he has been ill-treated by prison guards and been denied medical attention.

Russian authorities have accused him of faking health problems to draw attention to his case.

Whelan, born in Ottawa to British parents, resided in Michigan for more thantwo decades prior to his arrest.

Whelan served in the Marine Corps but was convicted at a court-martial of charges that included larceny while serving as an administrative clerk in Iraq in 2006. He was reduced in rank from staff sergeant to corporal and given a bad conduct discharge from the service.

WATCH l Sept. 2019: Whelan denounces charges:

Canadian accused of spying calls Russia's claims against him 'garbage'

5 years ago

Duration 2:00

In a wild outburst in a Moscow courtroom, Canadian Paul Whelan shouted down a Russian judge Tuesday as he tried to defend himself against charges of being a spy.

The prosecution in the Russian case accuses Whelan of being at least a ranking U.S. military intelligence colonel and that he was caught red-handed trying to obtain secrets, his lawyer said.

The defence said Whelan had only believed he was receiving photographs of a trip that he and an acquaintance had been on, not classified material, and that he had been tricked, Zherebenkov said.

"This was a game by Russia's Federal Security Service," he said.

U.S. authorities have called the charges against Whelan spurious and have called on Russia to release him, describing the case as a "significant obstacle" to improving bilateral ties.