STOCKHOLM, November 18. /TASS/. A Danish appeals court has upheld the sentence of Russian researcher Alexei Nikiforov, charged with espionage, according to the court's statement. The court also confirmed the decision to deport the defendant once he serves out his prison term.
Nikiforov, 36, earlier filed an appeal against a ruling that an Aalborg court had announced on May 10, sentencing him to three years behind bars on espionage charges. The Danish prosecution said in early December 2020 that espionage charges had been brought against a Russian national permanently residing in Denmark. The defendant, who was put in custody in early July 2020, was suspected of passing Danish energy technologies to a Russian intelligence agency.
Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in Denmark has questioned the impartiality of the judges who considered Nikiforov's case, the embassy said in a statement. "We regret to note that the court failed to take the defense's arguments into account during the appeal proceedings. That said, the impartiality of the judges who considered the case raises serious questions, particularly because Alexei Nikoforov pleaded not guilty," the statement reads.
The embassy emphasized that it would continue to provide the necessary consular assistance to the Russian national and work to ensure his early release.