Former German foreign intelligence agency boss August Hanning appeared before a federal judge in the western city of Karlsruhe on Wednesday following his arrest on espionage and treason charges Tuesday.
He has been ordered to remain in detention ahead of his trial, according to federal prosecutors.
Manfred D., Hanning’s former chief of staff at the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), was also detained.
What are the charges against Hanning?
Manfred D. is accused of having stolen secret documents and turned these over to Hanning, who, as a private-sector security adviser, in turn reportedly sold the secret documents to an as yet unnamed foreign spy agency or agencies.
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Investigators estimate the two stole and potentially passed on more than 2,000 secret documents between 2010 and 2023. Federal investigators say it is unclear how much information was stolen and to whom it was sold.
Hanning ran the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence service, from 1998 until 2005 before becoming state secretary at the Federal Interior Ministry and then entering private business as a security adviser.
The issue has raised serious questions about the trustworthiness of Germany’s intelligence agencies and shocked politicians into action as they claim not enough is being done to ensure high-ranking officials do not abuse their experience when transitioning to jobs in the private sector.
Who was Hanning selling data to?
Although it is currently not known who Hanning’s potential customers were, Germany’s weekly Der Spiegel magazine on Wednesday named Azerbaijan as one. The Azerbaijan Media and Broadcasting Council vehemently denied the accusation, calling it “unfounded” and adding, “The malicious intent of the forces behind this disinformation operation is to damage Azerbaijan-Germany relations.”
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Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
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