An Iraqi court has sentenced a British citizen to 15 years in prison for smuggling antiquities out of the country, and decided to release the German accused in the same case.
The judge said that the maximum penalty for the crime is the death penalty, but the court decided to reduce the sentence for James Fitton, 66, “because of the advanced age of the accused.” On the other hand, he decided to drop the charge once morest German Volkar Waldmann, (60 years), “for lack of sufficient evidence.”
Fitton and Waldman were arrested at Baghdad airport on March 20, following airport security discovered artifacts in their luggage. They were part of a tourist expedition through the ancient sites of the country.
The sentencing of retired geologist Jim Fitton shocked the court in Baghdad, including his defense attorney.
“I thought the worst case scenario would be one year in prison, with suspension,” Fitton’s lawyer, Thaer Saud, who was visibly shocked, told The Associated Press.
But Judge Jaber Abdel Jaber confirmed that the artifacts collected by Fitton dated back more than 200 years, according to a government technical investigation, “and he had a criminal intent to smuggle them and take them out of the country.”
The judge did not take into account Saud’s arguments, which showed Fitton’s ignorance of Iraqi laws and the value of the things he presented.
Their case has garnered international attention at a time when Iraq hopes to boost its nascent tourism sector.
Waldmann’s defense team said the German tourist was carrying the pieces to Vuitton but did not pick them up from the site.
Fitton’s lawyer said he plans to appeal the ruling immediately. It is not clear whether Fitton can serve his sentence in his home country, and this requires a bilateral agreement between Iraq and the United Kingdom.
