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Officer of Polish Internal Security Agency accused of spying for Belarus

An officer of the Polish Internal Security Agency is standing trial on a charge of spying for Belarus, the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza reported on Wednesday with reference to a report on the Agency`s operation that has recently been submitted to the country’s Sejm (parliament).

The report does not disclose the name of the person; the newspaper identifies him as Robert R.

According to the Gazeta Wyborcza, the officer of the Agency’s Bialystok department was arrested in February 2008 and put on trial in the Polish city in December 2009, accused under the Polish Criminal Code’s Article 130 that penalizes espionage.

The man has been freed, perhaps, on his written pledge not to live the city, the Polish newspaper says.

The report also mentions a Belarusian woman, Volha Salamenik, who is believed to have been the man’s agent, the newspaper writes. The woman lived in Bialystok for several years where she ran a business.

Ms. Salamenik is on the Polish police’s list of wanted people. She is wanted on charges of fraud and involvement in foreign spying against Poland.

According to the police, the woman is 42 years old and comes from Malaya Berastavitsa, Hrodna region.

The law-enforcement authorities in Bialystok would not comment on the case, saying that it is highly confidential.

The Gazeta Wyborcza says that it has found a questionnaire of a certain Volha Salamenik on an Austrian dating site. The woman says that she speaks English, does not smoke and is looking for a man aged under 60. A picture on the questionnaire is similar to the image of the wanted woman posted on the web site of the Polish police, according to the newspaper. //BelaPAN