The Bucharest Appeal Court decided on Wednesday to sentence Omar Hayssam, the Syrian - Romanian citizen involved in the kidnapping of three Romanian journalists in Iraq, to 20 years in jail. Hayssam also has to pay compensations worth 2 million euros for each journalist.

In an intervention on the Realitatea TV station, Hayssam firmly declared: "I won't return to Romania. I won't become a scapegoat for the Romanian Justice system. If the journalists would talk to me, they would see that I am innocent! And I am not responsible for the beheading of the Secret Services", claimed Hayssam.

"I left Romania fine and well. I was permanently monitored by the secret services", added Hayssam.

In spring 2006, the Court decided to release Hayssam from arrest, due to medical reason and judge him at large, but Hayssam immediately fled the country.

As repercussions, president Traian Basescu immediately replaced al the heads of Secret Services.

Omar Hayssam was judged for financing a terrorist group in Iraq. Hayssam was supposed to intervene in the negotiations for the release of the three journalists and thus attract the sympathy of Romanian authorities.

During the past 10 years, several newspapers sustained prolonged campaign unveiling financial engineering and embezzlements put up by Hayssam in Romania.