MOSCOW, September 17. /TASS/: The Moscow City Court has upheld a lower court’s decision to extend the remand of Paul Whelan, an American national charged with espionage in Russia, a TASS correspondent reported from the courtroom.
"The Court hereby upholds the decision made by a court of first instance and rejects the defense’s appeal," the judge announced.
Tuesday’s hearing took place behind closed doors since the case concerns information constituting state secrets. The investigation of the case is over and the defense has begun to study the case files.
Whelan case
According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), 49-year-old Paul Whelan, a corporate security director for automotive parts supplier BorgWarner, was detained in Moscow on December 28, 2018, while on a spy mission. He faces charges under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code (espionage), which carries a punishment of ten to 20 years in prison.
Apart from US citizenship, Whelan also holds British, Canadian and Irish passports.
