A couple suspected of being spies have been apprehended by the authorities and will become the first persons to be charged with espionage under Slovenian criminal law, Slovenian media reported on Monday.
They were arrested in early December on a tip-off from SOVA, the national intelligence and security agency, which identified them in collaboration with NATO and EU partners.
“I can confirm that our law enforcement has apprehended two foreign nationals and all signs point to them being members of a foreign intelligence service,” said Andrej Benedejčič, the prime minister’s national security advisor.
The detainees are believed to be members of the Russian military intelligence organisation GRU and had false identities, reported Delo, which first broke the story.
The suspects, who have two children, had a real estate agency and an antique business in Ljubljana as a cover-up. They went by the names Maria Rosa Mayer Munos and Ludwig Gisch and had forged Argentinian passports, several media reported.
The pair reportedly used Ljubljana as a base for spying in Slovenia and other countries.
The Ljubljana district state prosecutor’s office confirmed they had launched pre-trial proceedings. The suspects have been remanded in custody and face up to eight years in prison if found guilty.
“If it turns out that they were actually spying for Russia, this will be one of the biggest successes SOVA has achieved since its inception,” Benedejčič said.
(Sebastijan R. Maček | sta.si)
Source: euractiv.com
