Prosecutors have filed an indictment against two alleged Russian spies who were arrested in Slovenia in December, media reported on March 3. The prosecutor’s office also asked the court to keep the pair in custody, as the three-month period during which they can be held in custody is about to expire.
According to the news portal N1 and the newspaper Delo, the indictment was filed by the Ljubljana District State Prosecutor’s Office after the investigation was completed.
The alleged spies have been in custody for three months on suspicion of committing the crime of espionage, which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison. This is the first such case in Slovenia.
On March 5, the three-month period during which they can be held in custody expires, meaning that they were going to be released if the prosecutor’s office had not filed an indictment and requested an extension of their detention.
The prosecution attested that N1’s indictment was filed by the deadline.
Early in December, Slovenian police detained the pair believed to be Russian spies after receiving a tip from SOVA (Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency), which had located them with the aid of NATO and EU colleagues.
They pretended to be an Argentinean couple in their 38s named Ludwig Gisch and Maria Rosa Mayer Munos while residing in Slovenia. They have two kids, who, according to N1 sources, have been looked after since their imprisonment.
The suspects are thought to be personnel from the SVR or GRU, the Russian military intelligence organization.
To hide their activities, they operated a real estate agency and an antique shop in Ljubljana. Both of these businesses were incorporated in 2017.
In connection with the notarized registration of their enterprises, which are located in Ljubljana’s Parmova Street, they have also been charged with the crime of certification of false material, which carries a punishment of up to three years in jail.
According to the 24ur online page, the couple used Ljubljana as a base for at least six years while snooping in Slovenia and other nations.
According to business registries, they had registered permanent houses in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.
