MOSCOW, October 30. /TASS/. The Moscow City Court has upheld the expanded arrest of Norwegian national Frode Berg, charged with espionage, a court source told TASS.

"The court has rejected an appeal against the extension of his arrest, saying the decision was legitimate," the source said.

Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Court earlier extended Berg’s arrest until December 5.

Berg case

Berg was detained in Moscow in December 2017 during a special operation carried out by the Federal Security Service (FSB). He is charged with espionage under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code. Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Court extended his arrest until October 5.

Berg’s lawyers say he pleads not guilty but admits cooperation with Norwegian intelligence agencies. According to the lawyers, their client admits he visited Russia acting as a courier for the Norwegian Intelligence Service but did not understand what he was actually doing and was unaware of the possible consequences. Norway’s authorities declined to comment on Berg’s statement.

Berg worked at a checkpoint on the Norwegian-Russian border for more than 20 years. He was an inspector at a government agency subordinate the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, responsible for the implementation of a bilateral treaty on the Russian-Norwegian border and the resolution of border conflicts and incidents.