Dutch diplomat who gave NATO secrets to Russian agents sentenced to 12 years

AMSTERDAM – A Dutch court has sentenced a diplomat to 12 years for delivering confidential NATO and the European Union documents to Russian agents.

In Tuesday's ruling, judges at The Hague District Court said Raymond Poeteray had endangered the interests of the Dutch state and its allies by passing on military and political documents over a period of years. He was paid at least €72,000 ($94,000) between January 2009 and August 2011, the court said.

Poeteray, who worked at the Netherlands' Foreign Affairs Ministry, was arrested in March 2012 in connection with an ongoing case in Germany.

In Germany, a couple that called themselves Andreas and Heidrun Anschlag — true identies unknown — are on trial for allegedly compiling the information that Poeteray gathered and sending it to Russia's intelligence agency.