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The trial of 52-year-old Bundeswehr Colonel Karsten L. has begun in the Sixth Senate of the Higher Court of Berlin. He headed the security department of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND).
He is accused of treason and disclosing classified information to Russian intelligence services. Along with him, the trial includes a diamond trader and a former Bundeswehr soldier, Arthur E. The trial is expected to last until at least the summer, with plans to hold 51 hearings during this time. The case involves 40 volumes of documents, according to BILD.
According to the investigation, the accused individuals sold key intelligence data about the war in Ukraine to the FSB, receiving over 800,000 euros for it. BILD reports that within the BND, this is considered one of the most serious cases of treason in the history of the FRG, and the extent of the damage is immeasurable. Karsten L. was arrested in Berlin on December 21, 2022. The BND had been hunting for him for a week, and crucial information came from the intelligence services of a friendly state.
As reported by Spiegel, Karsten L. initially gained access to a closed chat of the Wagner private military company (PMC), took screenshots, and handed them over to the FSB. He then made 73 pages of screenshots of internal BND chats. Arthur E. took them to Moscow and received money for it.
Karsten L. refuses to testify. According to BILD, he continues to receive a monthly salary of 7,613 euros from the state. Colleagues believe that his act of betrayal was driven by disagreement with the migration and economic policies of the German authorities.