11 Dec 2018 15:17

Moscow court upholds freezing of accounts of accused spy Tsurcan

MOSCOW. Dec 11 (Interfax) - The Moscow City Court ruled on Tuesday to leave frozen six bank accounts belonging to Karina Tsurcan, a former board member of Inter RAO who has been charged with spying, Ivan Pavlov, a lawyer for Tsurcan and the head of the association Team 29, told Interfax.

"The Moscow City Court handed down this ruling today, thereby upholding the ruling of Moscow's Lefortovsky District Court on freezing the accounts," Pavlov said on Tuesday.

The documents do not indicate the size of the six frozen accounts, he said. "The sum is not indicated in the ruling, which is a violation, in our opinion," Pavlov said.

"We will certainly appeal the court ruling and will go to the Moscow City Court presidium. It's hard to agree with that. We won't just leave it like that," he said.

If need be, Tsurcan's defense team is ready to go to the European Court of Human Rights, he said.

"This is in our plans. We will appeal this to the fullest extent of the European Convention," Pavlov said.

Earlier, the Lefortovsky District Court extended Tsurcan's arrest until February 14. The case materials are classified, and the court session was held behind closed doors.

Tsurcan is charged with espionage. She has been at Lefortovo since June 15.

On October 31, the court ordered that her accounts in various banks be seized.

Pavlov told Interfax earlier that she is charged with "becoming an agent engaging in confidential cooperation with a Moldovan special service on August 16, 2004" and "receiving an electronic version of an Energy Ministry document on details of Russian energy companies' actions on a channel of international cooperation somewhere in Moscow on April 21, 2015" and "providing this document to the Moldovan special service on September 29, 2015."

Tsurcan denies any wrongdoing and, according to her lawyers, believes the criminal case "was opened because it was just decided to remove her from her post due to her principles and incorruptibility."