MOSCOW. June 19 (Interfax) - Moscow's Lefortovsky District Court has sanctioned the arrest of espionage suspect Karina Tsurkan, the court's press service told Interfax on Tuesday.
"The court has upheld the investigative bodies' motion to impose on Karina Valeryevna Tsurkan a restrictive measure in the form of placement into custody," the press service said.
A criminal case on charges of espionage has been opened, the court said.
The company Inter RAO (MOEX: IRAO), where someone with the name Karina Valeryevna Tsurkan holds the post of board member in charge of trading, told Interfax that Tsurkan is on leave and declined to elaborate.
The maximum penalty for espionage is 20 years in prison. According to the Criminal Code, foreign citizens and stateless persons can be charged with espionage.
Interfax does not have other official information about the criminal case.
Three sources in the energy sector told Interfax that law enforcement agencies had searched the premises of Deputy Energy Minister Vyacheslav Kravchenko. The sources believed they were linked to the investigation against Tsurkan; one of them suggested that the official is a witness in the case. The Energy Ministry has yet to respond to Interfax's request for comment. The agency also has yet to obtain comments from law enforcement agencies.