German engineer guilty of helping Libya with nukes
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A German engineer was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison Thursday after being convicted of supplying Libya with sensitive technology to use in its abandoned nuclear weapons program.
Judge Juergen Niemeyer said Gotthard Lerch, 65, broke German export and weapons laws by getting uranium-enriching equipment - parts for a centrifuge system - to Libya between 1999 and 2003 despite knowing the North African nation was trying to build nuclear weapons.
"Libya was a good distance away from the final stages of an atomic weapon," Niemeyer said of Libya's atomic program when Lerch provided the country with illegal nuclear secrets.
The charges carried a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, but prosecutors had recommended Lerch serve six years because he admitted some involvement to the court.
Federal prosecutor Wolfgang Siegmund said Lerch "made highly exclusive special knowledge available" to the Libyans for a price of €3.5 million (US$4.7 million).
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