Russia accuses detained Russian-German lawyer of state treason, TASS reports

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia has accused a dual Russian-German national and lawyer, German Moyzhes, of state treason, the TASS state news agency reported on Tuesday, citing law enforcement agencies.

TASS said that Moyzhes had helped Russians obtain European residency permits. He is being held in pretrial detention in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison after being transferred from a detention centre in St Petersburg, the agency said.

TASS did not say when his trial would begin and Reuters could not immediately contact his lawyer.

Moyzhes joins a growing list of foreign nationals and dual citizens detained in Russia, who have found themselves caught up in a crisis in relations between Moscow and the West during the Ukraine conflict.

Reuters previously reported that Moyzhes, who was brought up partly in Germany but returned to Russia as an adult, had been arrested in St Petersburg in late May.

A German foreign ministry official said on Tuesday that Berlin was aware of Moyzhes’ case and that its embassy in Moscow was in contact with his family.

Moscow has denied Germany consular access to jailed German-Russian dual citizens for about two years, the official said, and added that Berlin remained strongly in favour of consular access in this and other cases.

Treason charges can carry life sentences in Russia, where acquittals for serious crimes are rare.

Moyzhes worked as a lawyer and managing partner for Avers Group Germany, a Cologne-based consultancy, according to the company website.

The firm provides business support and property management services and assists wealthy citizens of post-Soviet countries, including Russia, to obtain German residency permits, the site says.

It was not clear if Moyzhes’ arrest was connected with his professional work, and the company has not returned Reuters requests for comment in the past.

(Reporting by Reuters; additional reporting by Andreas Rinke, Writing by Lucy PapachristouEditing by Andrew Osborn and Bernadette Baum)