TALLINN: Estonia has convicted a maritime scientist who also worked at a NATO facility of spying for China, officials and media reports said on Friday in the country’s first intelligence case not linked to Russia.

Tarmo Kouts was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison by Harju county court in Tallinn earlier this month at a hearing held behind closed doors.

The court also confiscated 17,000 euros ($20,000) from the 57-year-old Kouts, a leading expert in oceanography at Tallinn Technical University. He also worked for Estonia’s defence ministry and was on the scientific committee of NATO’s Undersea Research Centre in Italy, which carries out studies to help the alliance’s warships and submarines.

“We don’t comment on intelligence issues,” a NATO official said when asked about the reports.