An alleged Russian spy reportedly lied to gain asylum in the UK before he worked for the Foreign Office with access to intelligence secrets, reports have suggested.
The refugee from Afghanistan is accused of spying for Russia’s military intelligence agency but also worked for GCHQ and MI6, a court heard.
He was stripped of his British citizenship in 2019 when security service MI5 believed he was an agent for the Russian military intelligence agency GRU.
Government officials have argued that he is a risk to national security if let back into the UK.
The alleged spy, identified only as C2, denies being an agent or that he is a risk to national security but claimed MI5 has accused him of being groomed as a Russian asset since the age of five.
He is appealing against the government’s decision to strip him of his British citizenship in a hearing before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).
C2 entered the UK in 2000. He gained asylum after claiming he was fleeing the Taliban and had come directly from Afghanistan, although he lived for six years in Russia. He later naturalised as a British citizen, the court heard.
He began working as a self-employed interpreter for public bodies including the police, courts and Home Office, the court has heard, before, he says, he was employed by GCHQ.
SIAC has been told he had access to “top secret” documents while working for the British government in Britain and Afghanistan.
He met two prime ministers and met then Prince Charles and Prince William on visits to Afghanistan while working for the British government, it is claimed.
On Tuesday C2 admitted to the court he had lied in his asylum application.
He said he had hidden the time spent living in Russia out of fear of being deported.
After leaving the Foreign Office, C2 went on to work in Afghanistan in a variety of roles that gave him close dealings with Russian officials and he visited Russia at least six times.
He admitted in court on Tuesday he had passed cash bribes to two Russian military attaches and was later told by MI5 they were GRU operatives.
C2 also later met an official in the Russian Foreign Ministry.
He admitted passing copies of his ID card, and commercial information connected to Nato to them but said the material was not confidential.
In court this week, C2’s barrister Robert Palmer KC said C2 had put his life at risk while working for the Foreign Office in Afghanistan and had a “track record of loyalty to the UK”. He denied being a risk to national security or an agent.
