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February 14, 2012
Diplomat and wife jailed for smuggling cigarettes
Published: 16 Dec 09 15:36 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/23886/20091216/
A North Korean diplomat and his wife have been sentenced to eight months in prison by a court in Stockholm for attempting to smuggle more than 230,000 cigarettes into Sweden.
- PUB yanks North Korean jeans due to concerns over labour conditions (6 Dec 09)
- Jeans 'made in North Korea' set to hit store shelves in Sweden (2 Dec 09)
- North Korean diplomats' smuggling scheme up in smoke (20 Nov 09)
When customs officials inspected their Russia-registered car they discovered the massive stash of cigarettes hidden under blankets and sheets in the back seat and trunk of the car.
At the time of the seizure the man, who is stationed at the North Korean trade mission in St. Petersburg, Russia, claimed that both he and his wife had diplomatic immunity and therefore couldn’t be held accountable for the alleged smuggling.
But the Stockholm District Court ruled that since neither of the two were accredited in Sweden, the Vienna conventions governing diplomatic relations didn’t apply.
Instead, according to the court, the incident is a simple case of two people who were caught in the act of smuggling large quantities of cigarettes into the country.
During the trial, the North Korean diplomat claimed that the cigarettes were going to be sent to his home country “for the purpose of supporting public projects”.
But at the time of the seizure, the couple told customs officials that the cigarettes were going to be sold in Sweden to finance a medical operation for his wife.
The court refused to buy either excuse, however, calling them both remarkable and blatant fabrications developed after the fact.
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Fin means anyhting from sweet to proper. When someone says, Du är så fin it's quite a compliment.
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Would really love to see that dartboard they use to make up laws and their sentences.
One other possibility does exist:that humanitarian Sweden might see them as celebrities, and release them to the delight of the posters on the blogs, and in the bargain save the taxpayer'[s money for eight years to house and feed them.
Who will get the fags is anyone's guess.
Accredited diplomats bearing diplomatic passports are immune to legal actions of the host country. They cannot be tried nor jailed for any crime, not even for murder, only declared 'persona non grata' and deported.
In which country are they accredited diplomats, Sweden, FInland or Russia?
If these news are true (no matter if you like or dislike North Korea), this would be an unbelievable breach of international laws.
I agree with others on JOKE about rapist and murderes. :)