Moscow's Court Receives Appeal Against Suspected Spy Whelan's Arrest

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow's Lefortovo Court has received an appeal against the detention of Paul Whelan, a multinational citizen who was recently arrested in Russia on espionage charges, spokeswoman for the court Yekaterina Krasnova told Sputnik on Thursday.

"An appeal against Paul Whelan's arrest has been filed today. The date of its consideration is not fixed yet, as the complaint needs to be translated into Whelan's native language. The date of the complaint's consideration will probably be known by the end of next week," Krasnova said.

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Krasnova added that the appellant requested that the court annul the suspect's arrest warrant and release him on bail, the amount of which will be determined by the court.

Paul Whelan, a former US marine, officially employed as director of global security for a Michigan-based automotive parts supplier, was detained in Moscow on December 28, with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) filing a criminal case against him over allegations of espionage, he faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years.