TREASON CHARGE

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32036, 10 July 1969, Page 17

TREASON CHARGE

Millionaire Gaoled (N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) KARLSRUHE, (West Germany), July 9. A West German millionaire, Hansheinz Porst, was sentenced to two years and nine months imprisonment in Karlsruhe yesterday for treason.

Porst, 46-year-old owner of a national chain of cut-rate photography stores, was alleged to have passed on to East German intelligence information concerning the attitude of the West German opposition Free Democratic Party towards the East Berlin regime.

Porst maintained that he was trying to bring closer together the two parts of divided Germany. Two Porst employees, Alfred Pilny, aged 51, and Peter Neumann, aged 46, were given suspended sentences of two years and three months and nine months respectively on similar counts.

Ribicic’s Warning The Jugoslav Prime Minister (Mr Mitja Ribicic) has warned delegates of 51 nonaligned countries to a conference in Belgrade of “the growing danger of pressure of all kinds on the independence of countries outside and inside blocs.” He told them: “In spite of everything, the policy of non-align-ment has proved its vitality and asserted itself as a constructive moral-political force in international relations.” The central themes of the talks between the countries, none of which are linked to the Great Power groups, are world peace, independence and development schemes.— Belgrade, July 9.