Gulf | Qatar
Minister testifies American had access to sensitive info
A senior Qatar minister testified in Qatar's Criminal Court that John Willis Donez, an American, had access to "very sensitive information" which, if successfully handed over to foreign powers, would have cost Qatar's national economy several billion riyals, a local newspaper reported.
- Staff Report
- Published: 00:00 February 13, 2007
Doha: A senior Qatar minister testified in Qatar's Criminal Court that John Willis Donez, an American, had access to "very sensitive information" which, if successfully handed over to foreign powers, would have cost Qatar's national economy several billion riyals, a local newspaper reported.
Donez, an engineer with Qatar Petroleum, has been sentenced to life imprisonment, according to Gulf Times, the English language newspaper. He was found guilty of industrial espionage, it said yesterday.
The court said that Donez endangered Qatar's national economic security by attempting to sell information about the North Field energy project to foreign diplomats, the daily reported.
Colleagues at Qatar Petroleum told the court that Donez gained access to their passwords in order to collect secret information about the project, it said. "Donez, who left the courtroom in shock and refused to comment following the sentencing, only narrowly avoided the death penalty when one of the three judges vetoed it," it added.
Donez' lawyer said it has filed the case with the Appeal Court.
A spokesperson for the US embassy would not comment on the case.
Qatar is home to one of the world's largest natural gas fields located off the country's Northern shores.
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