The Lefortovo district court in Moscow on Thursday extended the arrest of Paul Whelan, a former US marine charged with espionage, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the courtroom
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2019) The Lefortovo district court in Moscow on Thursday extended the arrest of Paul Whelan, a former US marine charged with espionage, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the courtroom.
Whelan, who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, was arrested in Russia in December 2018 on charges of espionage, despite his insistence that he was in Russia to attend a friend's wedding. Court papers have revealed that he had frequented Russia since 2007. If convicted, he may face 10 to 20 years in prison.
"The court has ruled to satisfy the investigation's request to extend the accused Whelan's pre-trial restraint in the form of detention for two months, until December 29," judge Sergey Ryabtsev announced.
At the court's session, Whelan once again asked for the dismissal of both the judge and the prosecutor, claiming the latter had allegedly ignored his complaints about human rights violation during the incarceration, including being allegedly threatened with a gun by security guards. The requests were denied.
In late August, the investigators pressed the final version of charges against Whelan. The defense is currently familiarizing itself with the case files before a hearing on its merits.
