VIENNA: An Austrian court on Wednesday ordered a former intelligence officer suspected of spying for Russia released from detention, as investigators continue probing the case.
Egisto Ott -- a former agent of the now-defunct Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT) -- was arrested in late March.
He was accused of "systematically" providing information to the Russian secret services, allegations that have shaken the nation.
The Vienna high court ordered the release of Ott, saying in a statement that there was no risk of him committing crimes once released. But he remained under investigation for suspected crimes, it added.
Ott was suspended from his post in 2017 amid allegations of spying and briefly arrested in 2021 on these same accusations.
He was detained in March after London said his name had come up in written messages exchanged between a suspected spy arrested in Britain and Jan Marsalek.
Marsalek is the Austrian former chief operating officer of payments firm Wirecard, who fled Germany in 2020 -- reportedly to Russia -- over fraud allegations following the company's spectacular collapse.
Based on the seized messages, Ott was accused of having passed the smartphone data of three senior officials to Russia in return for payment.
He is also accused of having supplied a laptop containing confidential documents, according to the arrest warrant obtained by AFP.
Suspected of having helped Marsalek, Ott is accused, too, of having spied on Russia critics.
They included Christo Grozev, a journalist with the Bellingcat investigative website, who was investigating Moscow's spy networks. He left Vienna after a break-in at his apartment.
Contacted by AFP before his most recent arrest, Ott denied any accusation of spying for Russia.
Since his arrest, information from the prosecution has leaked, according to which moles close to the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) are still operating in Vienna.
The FPOe used to have a "cooperation pact" with Russian President Vladimir Putin's party.
It governed Austria as junior partner in a coalition government from 2017 to 2019 and polls suggest it could win the national elections in September.
It was during the current FPOe leader Herbert Kickl's time as interior minister in 2018 that the authorities raided the country's intelligence service, seriously damaging its reputation.
After Ott's arrest, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer called for heightened security in the country.
The EU country of nine million has traditionally seen itself as a bridge between the East and West, but in recent years has been rocked by several cases centred on suspected spying for Moscow.
Austrian in Russia spying probe freed from detention
https://arab.news/cfun9
Austrian in Russia spying probe freed from detention
- The Vienna high court ordered the release of Ott, saying in a statement that there was no risk of him committing crimes once released
- He remained under investigation for suspected crimes
Trump tariff rollback offers relief for Indian farmers
- Indian exporters had been hit harder than EU rivals among others
- Coffee, spices and tea among exempt products
NEW DELHI: Indian agricultural exporters are among the winners from US President Donald Trump’s exemption of dozens of food items from his reciprocal tariffs regime, which some analysts say could help to revive lost demand.
Trump on Friday removed tariffs he had imposed on more than 200 food products, including beef, as consumer concerns mount over rising US grocery prices.
Unlike EU and Vietnamese suppliers facing 15–20 percent duties, Indian exporters of tea, coffee, spices and cashew nuts were hit harder after Trump doubled tariffs to as high as 50 percent on imports of certain Indian goods, including a punitive 25 percent levy from the end of August on India’s Russian oil purchases.
Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO), says that between $2.5 billion and $3 billion of exports will benefit from the tariff exemptions.
Positive signal for wider trade talks
“This order opens space for premium, speciality and value-added products,” he said. “Exporters who shift toward higher-value segments will be better protected from price pressures and can tap rising consumer demand.”
Officials involved in trade and farm export policy said the exemptions are also a positive signal for ongoing US–India trade talks and could ease export pressure triggered by this year’s tariff increases.
Exports of Indian goods to the US fell nearly 12 percent year on year in September to $5.43 billion after tariffs were raised. Indian farm exports, estimated to account for $5.7 billion of the country’s $87 billion exports to the US in 2024, were among those hit.
“The move benefits Indian farmers and exporters of tea, coffee, cashew and fruits and vegetables,” a senior official involved in Indian farm export policy said on condition of anonymity.
Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative lobby group, said India’s US-bound farm exports — focused on a few high-value spices and niche products — would register limited gains given its weak presence in key exempt items such as tomatoes, citrus fruits, melons, bananas and fruit juices.
“The tariff shift would marginally strengthen India’s position in spices and niche horticulture and help revive some lost US demand after the tariff hikes,” Srivastava added.
Latin American, African and ASEAN suppliers are likely to make larger gains, he said, adding that it was not immediately clear whether Indian exports will be exempt from 25 percent reciprocal tariffs or full 50 percent tariffs.
Exporters, however, fear that other factors will keep potential gains in check, pointing to high freight costs, strong competition from Vietnam and Indonesia and tougher US quality requirements.
“Tariff relief is important, but market recovery also depends on logistics and our ability to match prices,” one exporter said.
