Jeffrey Castelli, the CIA’s former Rome station chief, was sentenced in Italy Friday to seven years in jail for his part in the abduction of an al Qaeda suspect off a Milan street in 2003.
The sentence will have no effect unless Castelli enters Italian or other territories that have extradition treaties with Rome, thus subjecting himself to arrest.
Two other CIA operatives, Betnie Medero and Ralph Russomando, were also both sentenced to six years in jail for their parts in the caper.
Update: Italian prosecutor Armando Spataro told SpyTalk the verdicts gave him no joy.
“It’s difficult for a prosecutor to rejoice at the sentence of some people," Spataro said by e-mail from Milan.
"But it’s important for the defense of human rights what the Milan Appeal Court said with the verdict: There are no reasons to justify kidnappings and torture of the people. Not even if the democracies want to protect themselves from the terrorism.”
A lower court had convicted 23 other Americans, all but one a CIA agent, on kidnapping charges in November 2009. Castelli, Medero and Russomando had been acquitted on grounds of diplomatic immunity.
Italian prosecutors appealed that verdict. The defendants can now appeal Friday's decision to the Court of Cassation, Italy's supreme court.
The case centered on the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" of an Egyptian citizen, known as Abu Omar, from Milan to Cairo for interrogation. Upon release three years later, he claimed he was tortured and showed reporters multiple scars on his back.
Italian counterterrorism police were listening when he called his wife in Milan and described his kidnapping. With those details, they were easily able to track down the cell phone calls of the CIA snatch team and and trace the phones to their hotels and rental cars.
Another CIA officer officially listed as a U.S. diplomat in Milan at the time, Sabrina De Sousa, was convicted in the case.
Since then she has waged a pubic campaign to clear her name, refusing to admit she was a CIA employee and demanding that the State Department defend her.
"I think the number one thing that needs to become public is that Washington is not going to have anyone's back," De Sousa said in an interview with Gawker Media yesterday. "I'm an accredited diplomat. And that's why other people should know what's going on: Washington's going to throw them out to the battlefield without any protection anymore."
The CIA has consistently refused to comment on the case.
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6 comments:
One thing I'm not clear on here: when you write that "The sentence will have no effect unless Castelli enters Italian or other European Union territory, where he is subject to arrest." Wouldn't he also be subject to arrest, or at least detention for a hearing, in a non-EU country that has an extradition treaty with the EU? FM
This is one of my personal interest cases. Particularly interesting to me because I encountered DeSousa in Wiesbaden prior to her trial and conviction in Italy, and her having to stay clear of Europe, at a time I was dealing intensively with what had been clearly a concerted American team attempt to take me out. As a former anti-corruption investigator (for Mueller Law, Austin, TX) who'd penetrated a CHEVRON criminal ring working the inside of government counterfeiting Environmental Impact Statements for the oil industry, it was particularly interesting to me the former Italian head of military intelligence, at that time a defendant, wanted to subpoena [former CHEVRON board member] Condoleezza Rice, claiming she was personally overseeing this renditions team. Do these people freelance jobs outside official agency business? Their is no question in my mind, that Murder Inc would be apt to describe an 'insider club' at CIA.
The irony in this is, DeSousa put a big piece of the puzzle in place when she went public and I recognized her photo in the New York Times. She's obviously not the brightest bulb on the block.
And I'm certainly not holding my breath the USA authorities are in any way anxious to break open any can of worms detailing certain CIA personalities taking on hit work as personal vendettas for certain famous corporate personalities
Anonymous: Yes, thanks, I have made the correction regarding extraditions.
Ronald, respectfully, I do not understand your comment about Sabrina, who happens to be my client, not being "the brightest bulb on the block" by her having gone public. She was in Italy as an accredited US diplomat. There was nothing for her to have to hide behind in filing a lawsuit concerning the USGOVT's failure to protect her and her fellow diplomats.
Hi Jeff
Sabrina was a CIA officer and has acknowledged breaking laws
http://intelnews.org/2009/11/06/01-298/#more-3495
I question where they draw the line, I somehow doubt Sabrina smirking at me when I'd encountered her in Wiesbaden is completely divorced from the American team tried taking me out there [2008]
We'll see how this plays out, noting the are a dozen outstanding arrest warrants in Germany over a rendition, it's a matter [my view] of when the German agencies overcome the tails between legs syndrome and show some political will, there should be more arrest warrants in the offing, would be my guess and Sabrina's name will be on one of them (I'll bet she'll clain she was on vacation)
thanks for share.....
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