The CIA chief for Italy at the time, Jeffrey Castelli, and the then head of Italian military intelligence SISMI, Nicolo Pollari and his former deputy, were protected by state secrecy rules, while two other American defendants benefitted from diplomatic immunity, Judge Oscar Magi said.
Magi sentenced the former head of the CIA's Milan station, Robert Seldon Lady, to eight years in prison and the other 22 former CIA agents to five years each.
He ruled that those convicted should paid €1 million in damages to Nasr, better known as Abu Omar, and €500,000 to his wife.
The Islamist opposition figure, who enjoyed political asylum in Italy, was allegedly taken to the U.S. air force base in Aviano, northeastern Italy, then flown to the U.S. base in Ramstein, Germany, and on to Cairo where he says he was tortured.
The imam's captors failed to take many standard precautions, notably speaking openly on cell phones, leaving investigators to suspect that the Americans had cleared their intentions with senior Italian intelligence officials.
The "extraordinary rendition" program was set up by the administration of then-president George W. Bush in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. |
