Former Latvia MP ousted from Russia over spy charges

Former Latvian Member of Parliament Aleksejs Holostovs has been deported from Russia over alleged spy charges.

Video reports showed Holostovs, a former member of the pro Russia Harmony party, being interrogated by members of Russia's Federal Investigation Bureau, Russia's NTV reports.

According to the report published Sunday, Holostovs was hired by the Latvian authorities around seven years ago to gather information about dissension among the populace in regard to he Russian government and President Vladimir Putin.

"I know nothing about this,"Holostovs told the LETA news agency.

Janis Urbanovics, who heads the Harmony party in Saeima  said that he knew nothing previously about his former Saeima colleague’s supposed employment by Latvian intelligence agencies, and his eventual ouster from Russia.

"If all this is true about him, then there is bad news and good news. The good one for Harmony is that the Security Police and security agencies clearly realize that there is no fifth column here. The bad news pertains to Holostovs’ professional prowess,” Urbanovics told the LETA news agency.

Latvia's foreign ministry said it was investigating he report whilst  Latvia's security services declined to comment report.