The Army said on Wednesday that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been charged with desertion. Bergdahl abandoned his outpost in Afghanistan in 2009 and was held by the Taliban before being released in a trade last June.
In addition to desertion, Bergdahl was charged with misbehavior before the enemy, which comes with a possible sentence of life in prison if he is convicted. The desertion charge comes with a possible maximum sentence of five years, reports The New York Times.
Bergdahl, 28, could also be dishonorably discharged and be forced to turn over the pay he received while being held captive, the Army said today at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The case will then be handled at Fort Sam Houston in Texas and a military tribunal will decide if he will be court-martialed.
The Army had concluded its investigation into the circumstances of Bergdahl’s incident in December, reports CNN. There were reports in January that Bergdahl would be charged with desertion, but the Pentagon had denied that a decision had been made at the time.
President Barack Obama had sent five Taliban commanders who were detained at Guantanamo Bay back to Afghanistan in exchange for Bergdahl last year. It was a move quickly criticized by Republicans, especially as members of Bergdhal’s platoon came forward to criticize him as a deserter.
“This is an important step in the military justice process towards determining the accountability of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl,” Sen. John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Wednesday. “I am confident that the Department of the Army will continue to ensure this process is conducted with the utmost integrity under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”
A lawyer for Bergdahl told the Times that they had not decided what their next move will be.