US court rules Bergdahl conviction dismissal was invalid

A US court has ruled that the dismissal of former soldier Bowe Bergdahl's conviction was invalid. The case centres on Bergdahl's 2017 guilty plea to desertion and misbehaviour before the enemy.

US court reinstates Bergdahl guilty plea after ruling dismissal unlawful

A US military appeals court has ruled that the earlier dismissal of former soldier Bowe Bergdahl's conviction was invalid, according to a report by Google News IE — Crime (en) citing Al Jazeera.

Bergdahl, who was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan after leaving his post in 2009, pleaded guilty in 2017 to desertion and misbehaviour before the enemy. He was sentenced to a dishonourable discharge, reduction in rank, and forfeiture of pay, but received no prison time.

A military judge subsequently dismissed the conviction on the grounds that the sentencing authority had shown bias — a decision that has now been overturned by the appeals court.

The ruling means Bergdahl's guilty plea and original sentence are reinstated. His case drew significant political attention in the United States after he was exchanged for five Taliban detainees held at Guantánamo Bay in 2014, a swap that sparked controversy in Congress and among military veterans.

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)