Switzerland sentences three in Libyan nuclear case

GENEVA: Switzerland's highest court on Tuesday sentenced a family of Swiss engineers accused of helping Libya in its failed efforts years ago to build up a nuclear weapons programme.

But Friedrich Tinner, 70, and his two sons Marco and Urs were free to leave the Federal Court of Justice in Lausanne because of the length of time they had already served in detention and a plea bargaining agreement.

Urs and Marco Tinner received sentences of 50 months and 41 months respectively, while Friedrich was given a 24-month suspended sentence for offences under the War Material Act.

The case began in the 1990s, when the Tinners started working with the nuclear smuggling network of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Swiss prosecutors launched a case against Marco, 43, and Urs, 46, in October 2004 and against their father the following year.

After their arrests in 2004 and 2005, the brothers spent three and four years in jail respectively awaiting trial, while their father was incarcerated for nearly two years. (AFP)