Jakob Scharf anchor prison sentence to the high court

The former head of PET, Jakob Scharf anchor the jail sentence, which he two weeks ago in the Copenhagen city Court to have breached his duty of confidentiality.

It informs the 52-year-old lawyer Thursday in a written comment, which is sent to a number of media.

- Both now and while I was head of the PET, it has been my basic attitude, that the greatest possible openness about the PET's relationship - and not the opposite - is essential, says Scharf in the message.

It therefore comes hardly behind in any that I fundamentally disagree with byrettens decision and the grounds for this decision, and when that is the case, it is only right to refer the decision to a higher court.

the Penalty for the former intelligence chief, sounded in the district court on four months of unconditional imprisonment. At the same time confiscated a yield of almost 400.000 kroner, as Scharf has received for its participation in the book "Seven years to a PET".

It is in the release, the apparently illegal opinions has declined. In the book recounts Scharf on a series of concrete terrorsager, PET's working methods and cooperation with other intelligence services.

During criminal proceedings, Jakob Scharf stressed that he work on the book has been very cautious.

- Anyway I have had to think carefully about, and I have not at least had to think about whether I even wants to spend more time and, not least, more effort and resources on this case, says Scharf.

nevertheless, he is therefore reached, that the case must continue.

I am convinced that byrettens decision is the expression of a wrong state of affairs, and I am also convinced that one must shoulder its responsibility and continue to fight for what you believe is right and important, he says.

the Case against Jacob Scharf is unique - both in a Danish and an international context. Never before has the top intelligence chief in a country in the western world has been accused of something similar.

The remarkable thing in the matter is also that PET is not further justified, why the 28 passages in the book should be confidential and also harmful to the kingdom's security.

The fact is due to the presentation of such evidence would allegedly short-circuit the intelligence own secrecy.

instead, the prosecution's kronvidne, the current PET-boss, Finn Borch Andersen, in more general terms, explained what damage the predecessor's statements have caused.

Jacob Scharf was in charge of the PET from 2007 to 2013. It was in the years when the Muhammedtegningerne made in Denmark, to a vulnerable target for terrorists.

/ritzau/