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September 13, 2005
Nigerians free European sailors
A court in Nigeria has granted bail to 15 east European sailors almost two years after they were arrested on suspicion of smuggling crude oil.
The sailors - from Russia, Romania and Georgia - were freed after agreeing to be supervised by their diplomatic missions until the end of their trial.
They were the crew of a Greek-owned ship which was allegedly found with some 10,000 tonnes of stolen crude oil.
Russia has put strong pressure on Nigeria to speed up the trial.
Earlier this year, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the delays as "inhumane" and a delegation of Russian MPs and the detainees' wives travelled to Nigeria last month to protest at their treatment.
If convicted, the sailors could face life in jail.
Two Nigerian admirals were dismissed over the incident.
The tanker - the MT African Pride - mysteriously disappeared from custody last year, causing embarrassment in Nigeria's political circles.
Some 30,000 barrels of oil are believed to be lost to fuel thieves each day in Nigeria, which is Africa's largest oil exporter.
Posted by Publisher at September 13, 2005 02:51 PM
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