MOSCOW, February 22 (RAPSI) – The Moscow Lefortovsky District Court has extended the detention of Paul Whelan, charged with espionage, a RAPSI correspondent reports from the courtroom on Friday.

The court ruling says Whelan is to stay in detention until May 28.

Earlier, according to the defendant’s lawyer, Whelan has been found competent to stand a trial by experts.

Whelan is a citizen of the U.S., Canada, Ireland and Great Britain. He is the chief safety officer of BorgWarner, an American worldwide automotive industry components and parts supplier. The foreigner was arrested in late 2018 during “a spying mission”, according to the Federal Security Service. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

The Foreign Ministry of Russia reported earlier that papers classified as state secret were seized from Whelan during his arrest on December 28. His lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov has confirmed this information.