MOSCOW,
July 7 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Federal Security Service(FSB) has completed an
inquiry into an ex-security officer's claim on spying for the British
intelligence and launched a criminal case on espionage charges, Russian news
agencies reported Saturday.
"We have inquired into the matter and received enough
information, which indicates that between 2003 and 2007 British Secret
Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6) officers recruited him and later used as an
agent for spying to the detriment of Russian Federation's security," the FSB
said in a statement.
Last week FSB said the alleged spy Vyacheslav Zharko
had disclosed the names of four British intelligence officers, and given
locations in Europe where meetings had taken place, including information
regarding the assignments he had been given.
Zharko turned to the FSB following May 31 news
conference given by another former security officer Andrei Lugovoi, who accused
Russia's fugitive tycoon Boris Berezovsky of working for British intelligence.
Zharko said he was recruited by British intelligence
with direct participation of Boris Berezovsky and Alexander Litvinenko, and one
of his "supervisors" was John Callaghan who in the period from 1998 to 2001
worked as the first secretary of the British embassy in Moscow and is regarded a
career intelligence officer.
The Russian Prosecutor General's office criticized on
Friday Britain's refusal to launch criminal proceedings against Russian business
tycoon Boris Berezovsky.
Russia has opened three criminal cases against
Berezovsky on the charges of the incitement to a coup and extremism.
The businessman said in an interview with the
Guardian newspaper on April 11 that force should be used for overthrowing the
Russian authorities. He gave a positive answer to the question whether he was
inciting a revolution.
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