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Polish attorney suspected of spying for Russia to face trial on September 21

In May, Polish prosecutors filed espionage charges against Stanislaw Sz who worked as an attorney for a law firm, which serviced the construction of an LNG terminal in the Polish town of Świnoujście

WARSAW, September 12/TASS/. A Polish lawyer, Stanislaw Sz (full name withheld under Polish privacy laws), suspected of spying for Russia will face trial on September 21, the press service of the Warsaw District Court told TASS on Monday.

"Legal proceedings are under way. The court ruled that the trial should take place behind closed doors," the court’s spokeswoman told TASS without mentioning any further details or specifying when the trial could end.

In May, Polish prosecutors filed espionage charges against Stanislaw Sz who worked as an attorney for a law firm, which serviced the construction of an LNG terminal in the Polish town of Świnoujście. If found guilty, he could face 15 years behind bars.

The first stage into the Stanislaw Sz case was held on September 5 when an official indictment was read to the defendant and he himself was questioned. "The trial is to take place behind the closed doors because of its significance regarding state interests and also because some materials being used are classified," the court’s press secretary explained.

Poland’s radio station, Zet said that the suspect was accused of collaborating with the main intelligence department of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff. According to journalists, the Polish Internal Security Agency detained Stanislaw Sz, who holds dual Polish-Russian citizenship, in October 2014.

Likewise, Lieutenant Colonel Zbigniew J of the Polish Army was detained simultaneously with Stanislaw SZ on charges of spying for Russian intelligence services. On May 30, a court sentenced him to six years in prison. Polish television said that Zbigniew J was in charge of human resources at the Polish Defense Ministry. "He handed over information on Polish servicemen who had violated military discipline to the Russians. He could have disclosed hundreds of names of such soldiers," the TV channel said, noting that such servicemen were often recruited by the Russian intelligence service.