Hungarian Nazi war crimes suspect Sandor Kepiro was found not guilty by a court in Budapest on Monday of ordering the execution of at least 30 civilians in the Serbian city of Novi Sad in 1942.

"I am innocent. I never killed, I never robbed," Kepiro said in his final statement before the verdict was read out.

The prosecution demanded a prison sentence for the 97-year-old Kepiro. The defense, however, argued the case was flimsy because it had little tangible evidence and relied instead on old testimonies and verdicts from previous trials.

Kepiro faced two respective trials in 1944 and 1946 for the alleged crimes and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. But he had already moved to Argentina when he was convicted.

Hungary's public prosecutor claims that Kepiro was the commander of a patrol that ordered innocent civilians to be executed. He admits to being present during the raid, but says he did not know anything about the massacre. In the past, Kepiro called the trial a "circus."

The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, which searches for WWII war criminals, has placed Kepiro on its list of most wanted Nazi criminals.

Author: Spencer Kimball (AFP, AP)
Editor: Ben Knight