Russian Court May Rule On US National Whelan's Espionage Case In Fall - Lawyer

The trial of US citizen Paul Whelan, who is being kept in Russian custody on spying charges, may start in September, with a court expected to deliver a ruling by the end of fall, Whelan's attorney, Vladimir Zherebenkov, told Sputnik on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2019) The trial of US citizen Paul Whelan, who is being kept in Russian custody on spying charges, may start in September, with a court expected to deliver a ruling by the end of fall, Whelan's attorney, Vladimir Zherebenkov, told Sputnik on Thursday.

"I believe that the last arrest extension will be in late August. Afterward, the case will be referred to the Moscow City Court for consideration of its merits. This fall, I suppose, the court will make a decision," the lawyer said.

According to Zherebenkov, Whelan continues to be kept in a Moscow detention facility, with civilian doctors having recently paid him a visit.

"Doctors from the Ministry of Health came and conducted a check-up since Whelan earlier complained of a hernia.

Russian doctors have already addressed their US colleagues to get his previous health data and look at the dynamics. [Even before the arrest], he had planned to undergo surgery in America," the lawyer added.

Whelan, who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, was arrested in Russia in December on charges of espionage. If convicted, he may face from 10 to 20 years in prison.

A former US marine, Whelan has denied the charges and insisted he was in Russia to attend a friend's wedding. Court papers have revealed that he had frequented Russia since 2007.