BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

22/12/2006

Lithuania to hand over suspected Belarusian spy to Poland

The Associated Press

VILNIUS, Lithuania: A Lithuanian court on Friday decided to extradite a Belarusian man wanted in Poland for espionage.

The Vilnius District Court, acting on a request from Polish prosecutors, said 40-year-old Sergey Monich would be handed over to Poland in accordance with the European Convention on extradition and Lithuanian law.

The Belarusian citizen was arrested in Vilnius on Nov. 25 after allegedly conducting surveillance of Polish and Lithuanian authorities for several months.

Prosecutors claim Monich worked for Belarus' secret service and was trying to obtain information about Polish intelligence agents.

Monich denies the allegations, saying he is a victim of political provocation.

"How can a man be charged of espionage against a state where he has never been in his life?" Belarusian diplomat Anatoly Zeltovski told journalists after the decision was announced. He said the decision would be appealed.

Investigators said the man had traveled to Lithuania several times on a tourist visa, meeting his Polish informers at different Vilnius restaurants and in the spa resort of Druskininkai, which is near the border with Poland and Belarus.

Monich arrived in Vilnius on Nov. 24 and was arrested the next day.

Monich is currently being held at a Vilnius maximum security prison on a detention order, which on Friday was extended for another month.

Source:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/22/europe/EU_GEN_Lithuania_Spy.php