Accused of spying for Russia, a former security officer at the British Embassy in Berlin denied the charges in a London court on Thursday.
David Smith, 57, has been charged with nine counts of breaching the Secret Trade Act. According to the indictment, he attempted to correspond by letter with the military attache of the Russian Embassy in Berlin, General Sergei Chukhorov, to provide him with information on the activities, identities, addresses and telephone numbers of various members of the British civil service.
Smith was also supposed to collect information about spatial planning and the activities of the British Embassy in Berlin, which might be useful to Russia, collect classified information on the activities of the British government, make unauthorized copies of documents, embassy surveillance recordings, and store SIM card refills that were requested. Get rid of her.
These allegations relate to the period between October 2020 and August 2021, when he was arrested. On Wednesday, Smith was extradited to the UK, and on Thursday he appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. He pleaded not guilty to any of the charges against him. He was refused bail and will remain in detention until the next hearing scheduled for April 13. (PAP)
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