Hearings have begun at the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales in the high-profile case against Juan Joseph, a former employee of a contractor that provided services to the British counterintelligence service MI5.
Joseph is charged with serious breaches of the Official Secrets Act. The prosecution alleges that, while having access to confidential information in the course of his official duties, he committed the unauthorized use or transfer of data that could have harmed the national security of the United Kingdom.
Jose flew to the Latvian capital specifically to meet with representatives of a foreign government and hand over confidential information he obtained while working for the British intelligence services. This incident has become the subject of a large-scale international investigation involving both Latvian security agencies and British law enforcement agencies.
Riga was chosen as the meeting location because it was a neutral venue, but Latvian intelligence services, working closely with their British counterparts, thwarted the attempted data transfer at the last minute.
The trial is being held under heightened security. Given the nature of the case and the involvement of intelligence officers, some hearings may be held behind closed doors to prevent the leaking of classified intelligence methods.
Authorities emphasize that the information the former contractor attempted to sell could have significantly damaged the national security of the UK and its NATO allies.