The U.S. Army announced Monday that the case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been recommended for trial by general court-martial.
The Army Times reported that Gen. Robert Abrams, the commanding general of Forces Command, made the referral. Bergdahl, who has been charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, could be imprisoned for life.
The date of the arraignment hearing, which will take place at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, has not yet been announced.
While serving in Afghanistan in June 2009, Bergdahl disappeared after voicing opposition to the war. He was later captured by the Taliban, who held him for five years before the Obama administration made a controversial prisoner trade for the alleged Army deserter. Bergdahl returned to the U.S. in May 2014 after the administration swapped him for five Taliban leaders detained at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Bergdahl was charged in March with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The desertion charge carries a maximum of five years in prison, and the misbehavior charge a maximum of life in prison.
In September, Bergdahl faced an Article 32 hearing at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, during which military prosecutors made the case for his potential trial and his attorneys argued against it.
On Monday, Bergdahl’s lawyers said that they "had hoped the case would not go in this direction. We will continue to defend Sgt. Bergdahl as the case proceeds."
The latest development in Bergdahl’s case comes just days after Republican lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee released a report concluding that President Obama broke the law by swapping five Taliban prisoners for Bergdahl.