MEP Zdanoka faces criminal probe over possible collaboration with Russian intelligence

RIGA - The State Security Service has opened criminal proceedings against European Parliament Member Tatjana Zdanoka (Russian Union of Latvia; LKS) over her suspected collaboration with Russian intelligence services.

At the end of January, the Security Service reported that it would look into information on Zdanoka's alleged collaboration with Russia's intelligence services. This week, the Security Service confirmed to LETA that the service is probing Zdanoka's activities as part of criminal proceedings started on February 22. 

The Security Service declined to elaborate on the ongoing investigation.

As reported, according to an investigation carried out by the Russian independent investigative journalism organization The Insider, in cooperation with Estonian, Latvian and Swedish journalists, Zdanoka has been in active correspondence with Russian citizens who may be officers of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) at least since 2004. Among other things, she sent them reports on her activities. The investigation is based on Zdanoka's hacked emails.

In her statement to the media, Zdanoka did not deny the authenticity of the emails, but stressed that she considered it unacceptable to comment on the content of personal documents obtained by hacking. She also tried to link the media publication to her alleged "anti-fascist activities".

The European Parliament (EP) also opened an investigation into allegations that European Parliament Member from Latvia Tatjana Zdanoka had contacts with Russian intelligence services.