MOSCOW, September 4 (RAPSI, Kirill Ryabchikov) – The Moscow City Court on Tuesday upheld extension of detention for a former board member for Inter RAO energy holding Karina Tsurkan charged with espionage, the court’s press service told RAPSI.

Tsurkan will stay in jail until November 14.

According to attorney Ivan Pavlov, the case documents read that in August 2004 Tsurkan became an agent involved in confidential and unofficial cooperation with a Moldovan secret service.

In April 2015, while staying in Moscow she allegedly received a digital version of a document on project prepared by the Ministry of Energy. The project was allegedly related to the actions of Russian energy companies in the sphere of international cooperation. In September of the same year, she allegedly transferred the document to a secret service.

Tsurkan could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The defendant denies wrongdoing and claims that she does not know representatives of foreign secret services and did not see the document in question. She also asked to provide her evidence in the case.

Aside from being the holding’s board member, Tsurkan also headed its trading department.