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Russian Foreign Ministry dismisses spy suspect Paul Whelan’s health complaints as false

It looks like incarcerated US national Whelan is in no hurry to read his case, the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed

Paul Whelan Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

Paul Whelan

© Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/. Spy suspect Paul Whelan’s health is not at risk and none of his previous complaints were confirmed, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary on Tuesday.

"Whelan’s complaints about his conditions in custody and the investigators’ actions have not been confirmed at least once," the Foreign Ministry said. "The accused receives competent medical assistance not only from detention prison doctors, but also from specialists of Moscow’s medical establishments. In September, he underwent comprehensive examination at one of Moscow’s clinics, which identified no dangerous diseases. He was invited to undergo a surgery for doing away with a minor ailment, but eventually refused to prefer medication."

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Jailed US national Whelan complains of lack of translation of case materials, says brother

"Whelan’s health is not at risk. The simulations he resorts to from time to time are apparently part of the training course US intelligence officers undergo," the Foreign Ministry added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry described claims by Washington and Western mass media that Whelan was in custody without any reason and that he is denied the medical assistance he needed as a massive disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting Russia’s image. "As we’ve said more than once, Whelan entered Russia using his US passport and a tourist visa. He was detained in Moscow on December 29, 2018 during a spy operation," the Foreign Ministry recalled. "The evidence exposing him as a spy was thoroughly documented."

Dragging out start of trials

It looks like spy suspect Paul Whelan makes intentional delays in studying his case, while the beginning of trial depends on when he is through with the process, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary on Tuesday.

"Whelan’s investigation is over. The final version of the bill of indictment was presented back on August 30. Since September 4 he has been reading the criminal case opened under article 276 of Russia’s Criminal Code," the Foreign Ministry said. "It looks like he is in no hurry and procrastinations are intentional, although the beginning of the trial where the evidence of his guilt will be presented depends on the completion of this process."

Whelan affair

Paul Whelan, a US citizen, who also has British, Canadian and Irish citizenship, is officially employed as security chief of a large US company BorgWarner, a manufacturer of car parts and components based in Michigan. On December 28 last year, Russia’s security service FSB detained him in Moscow during a spy operation. The criminal charges brought against him under article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code (Espionage) envisage a prison term of 10 to 20 years.

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