BND agent on trial for treason
In the midst of the war in Ukraine, BND employee Carsten L. is alleged to have betrayed secret information to the Russian secret service. The trial against him and an alleged accomplice is now beginning in Berlin. The defendants face long prison sentences.
A trial for alleged espionage for Russia has begun in Berlin under strict security measures. An agent of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) is on trial before the Berlin Court of Appeal on suspicion of treason. A 32-year-old businessman has been charged as an alleged accomplice.
The two Germans are alleged to have betrayed secret information to the Russian secret service FSB in the fall of 2022 - a few months after the start of the Russian war against Ukraine - and received several hundred thousand euros each in return. Both defendants are in custody.
53-year-old Carsten L. from the German secret service BND was arrested in Berlin in December 2022. In January, businessman Arthur E. was arrested in Munich as a suspected accomplice when entering the country from the USA. So far, 51 trial days have been scheduled until July 2024.
Treason can be punished in particularly serious cases with a prison sentence of at least five years up to life imprisonment. This applies, for example, if the perpetrator abused a position of responsibility that placed him under a special obligation to protect state secrets.
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The accusation against Carsten L. involves providing secret information to Russia's FSB, a move that could lead to severe penalties if found guilty of treason. The case against Carsten L. and his alleged accomplice, Arthur E., is being handled by the Berlin Court of Appeal, stemming from alleged espionage activities in late 2022. The involvement of Russia's secret services in this case has raised concerns in Berlin's political circles.
Source: www.ntv.de
