Judge's gavel. File photoROME, Mar 14The military tribunal of Rome has begun hearings on the case of Captain Second Rank of the Italian Navy Walter Biot, accused of spying for the Russian Federation, his lawyer Roberto De Vita told RIA Novosti. A similar process will begin on March 30 in a civil court in the Italian capital. Earlier, the lawyer said that the military and civilian prosecutor's offices did not agree on a single trial, despite the identity of the charges. De Vita then suggested that both processes could be completed in a few months, possibly by early summer.The Italian Foreign Ministry commented on the expulsion of the military attache from Russia In turn, the military prosecutor's office accuses him of committing crimes related to «obtaining secret information for the purpose of espionage», «obtaining and disclosing information of a confidential nature», «photographing for the purpose of espionage». De Vita explained to RIA Novosti that the maximum punishment for Biot in both cases can be life imprisonment. The most serious of the charges brought against him, according to the lawyer, concerns «disclosure of secret information for the purpose of spying for another state.» Earlier, the lawyer said that the accusations brought by various prosecution authorities are «similar, but differ in articles that relate to civil or military proceedings.» The main difference is whether the information gathered by Biot should be considered political or military secrets. At the same time, the secrecy of the materials of the investigation makes it almost impossible for the officer’s defense to get acquainted with them, the lawyer says. On March 30, 2021, the Italian carabinieri detained an officer of the Russian Armed Forces accredited at the embassy in Rome, and the captain of the second rank of the Italian Navy, Walter Biot, on charges of espionage. It was reported that the operation took place during a secret meeting between them immediately after the transfer of secret documents by an Italian officer in exchange for 5,000 euros. The Russian was not arrested because of his diplomatic status, the Italian was taken into custody. Rome declared them persona non grata and announced the immediate expulsion of two employees of the military attache's office at the Russian embassy. At the end of April, Russia expelled an employee of the Italian embassy in Moscow.
