By Aysu Bicer
LONDON (AA) - UK prosecutors authorized charges against five Belarusians suspected of spying for Russia, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on Thursday.
"The CPS has authorized a charge of conspiracy to conduct espionage against three men and two women suspected of spying for Russia," said Nick Price, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, in a statement.
"Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, Katrin Ivanova, 31, Ivan Stoyanov, 31, and Vanya Gaberova, 29, will be charged with conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state between 30 Aug. 2020 and 8 Feb. 2023," he said.
The charges stem from an investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command and criminal proceedings against the suspects are currently underway.
Price stressed the importance of refraining from reporting, commenting, or sharing online information that could prejudice the legal proceedings.
He underscored that the CPS's role is not to determine a person's guilt or innocence but to impartially and objectively assess whether charges should be presented for consideration in a criminal court.
The defendants are scheduled to appear Sept. 26 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.