Simm gets 12 years for treason

TALLINN - Former senior public servant Herman Simm, 61, has been found guilty of treason and of passing on classified information. He was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison.

The case was heard at a closed session under a compromise procedure on Feb. 25.

Sven Sillar, the defense lawyer of Heete Simm, 54, Herman Simm's wife, a suspected of accomplice of treason, told BNS that the public prosecutor's office had made no proposal to her concerning an agreement or had informed her of her case being closed.

Last September 21, the Harju County Court at an application by the Public Prosecutor's Office issued a warrant for the arrest of Herman Simm, head of the security department at the Defense Ministry on the suspicion of spying for Russia as well as his wife, Heete Simm, lawyer at the Police Board, suspected of being an accomplice to treason.

Until November 2006 Herman Simm worked as head of the security department at the Defense Ministry with access to classified information of the state and it was his duty to sign agreements on the protection of classified information with Estonia's partner countries.

After five years of services as head of the security department at the Defense Ministry Simm became and adviser to the ministry and was in that office until last spring.

Herman Simm has been decorated with a Class IV White Star Order and the Class II Service Badge of the Defense Ministry, the Service Badge of the Information Board and the Police memorial medal that he will apparently have to give up after the sentence enters into forces.