MOSCOW, February 7 (RAPSI) – The Second Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction has overturned a lower court’s order on the release of ex-board member of Inter RAO energy holding Karina Tsurkan charged with espionage from detention, her attorney Ivan Pavlov has told RAPSI.

Tsurkan has been retaken into custody in the courtroom.

In January, the First Court of Appeals changed a restrictive measure of Tsurkan from detention to a restraining order. She was in particular banned from leaving home at night, communicating with witnesses in the case and using communications tools, according to Pavlov.

In November 2019, the Moscow City Court upheld seizure of the defendant’s 451 million rubles ($7.3 million) deposited on bank accounts.

In total, provisional measures are implemented against Tsurkan’s assets worth nearly 1 billion rubles.

In November 2018, the court seized bank accounts of the woman amounting to 500 million rubles.

According to attorney Ivan Pavlov, investigators believe 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 woman 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.