MOSCOW. Feb 3 (Interfax) - David Whelan, brother of Paul Whelan, a citizen of the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada, who is charged with espionage in Russia, said he believes there has still been no evidence of his brother's guilt presented in court.
"Like the movie Groundhog Day, each hearing is a repetition of the same pointless exercise. There is no review of evidence or the validity of charges," David Whelan told Interfax on Monday.
An appellate court in Moscow will hear the appeal against the extension of Whelan's arrest on Tuesday, he said, adding that he hopes "Paul will continue [to] be defiant against this ongoing injustice."
In addition, Whelan's brother told Interfax that when newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan had visited him in jail in late January, he had passed messages from his family onto him.
"Paul asked the Embassy staff to have us share this message for media: 'Here over a year. No evidence. No crime. No medical treatment. Everything is fabricated.' Unfortunately, an FSB officer overseeing the consular visit interrupted and would not let Paul finish sharing his remarks with the Ambassador and US Embassy staff," David Whelan said.
The Moscow City Court prolonged Paul Whelan's detention until March 29 in late December 2019.
U.S. citizen Whelan was detained in Moscow on December 28, 2018. It later emerged that he is also a citizen of three other countries: the UK, Ireland, and Canada. The embassies of those countries in Moscow have received his requests for help. Whelan was charged with espionage. If he is found guilty, he could face ten to 20 years in jail. Investigators said that he was spying for U.S. security services. The flash drive he was found carrying contained information constituting state secrets.
Whelan's brother David said he had come to Moscow for a wedding. He also said that Whelan is a discharged marine.
Whelan denied any wrongdoing and described his prosecution as an act of provocation and "absurd political kidnapping."
The investigation into Whelan's case has been completed, and he and his lawyers are studying the case files.
At the time of his detention, Whelan was the security director of BorgWarner, a car parts manufacturer. His brother said on December 18 that BorgWarner had made Paul redundant.
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