American lawyer detained in Russia was imposed on a non-English speaking lawyer

Former marine Paul Whelan, who was arrested in Russia on charges of espionage, did not choose his own lawyer, moreover, the defender, who was imposed on him, does not speak English.

Photo: Whelan / BBC Family Property

This was stated by the brother of the detainee David Whelan. According to him, the defendant met with a lawyer only twice a month, now his family is looking for new lawyers, writes with the BBC.

FSB officers detained Paul Whelan, a citizen of the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Ireland, on December 28 in Moscow; the intelligence service reported that he was detained during a “spy action.”

On January 25, David Whelan sent a statement to the media. It says that during the Canadian diplomat's visit to the pre-trial detention center, his brother "confirmed what his family suspected - that his lawyer - Mr. Vladimir Zherebenkov - was chosen for him."

“We remain in the dark about who chose for Paul, if not himself. Paul's lack of Russian language continues to make it difficult for him to communicate in prison, and he is concerned that since his arrest he has only seen his lawyer, who does not speak English, twice,” the American's brother said in a statement.

David Whelan also reported that the family provided the arrested man with a list of “alternative Russian lawyers” in case he decides that he needs to change lawyers.

“We hope that the list will be handed over to him, because, as we understand, according to Article 50 of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code, Paul has the right to choose his own lawyer. Our family is neither for nor against changing counsel, but we believe that Paul's right to choose should be respected,” the document reads.

Paul Whelan's family did not communicate with Vladimir Zherebenkov, because he does not speak English. David Whelan was only able to meet and exchange contacts with an English-speaking employee of the Zherebenkov law firm.

Zherebenkov is a famous Moscow lawyer. In particular, he defends Andrei Kovalchuk, who was arrested in connection with cocaine possession at the Russian embassy in Argentina. In 2005, he represented the interests of Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko when a criminal case was opened against her in Russia.

Zherebenkov himself said that he plans to meet with Paul Whelan at Lefortovo on January 28. He explained that more frequent meetings are impossible due to the regime in Lefortovo - in the pre-trial detention center, lawyers are forced to wait in line to get to their clients.

On the question of how he turned out to be defender of Whelan, Zherebenkov refused to answer, citing advocacy secrecy.

“Paul entered into an agreement with me personally, I offered him my vision, but we have not yet decided how much I will receive for the work,” Zherebenkov said. He declined to comment further.

According to the BBC, at first, the detained Paul Whelan was provided with a lawyer by appointment, they turned out to be Zherebenkov's son Roman, who is in the register of lawyers who take cases as defense lawyers by appointment.

An acquaintance of Zherebenkov, who asked for anonymity, said that FSB investigators allegedly insisted on participating in the Zherebenkov Sr. case.

Now Paul Whelan has three defenders - Roman and Vladimir Zherebenkov, as well as Olga Karlova. She speaks English, but she has never been to Lefortovo to see her client.

Whelan was charged under the article “Espionage”. The FSB did not disclose any details about this case; the meeting of the Lefortovo Court of Moscow, at which the issue of arrest was decided, was held behind closed doors - as was the appeal of this decision in the Moscow City Court.

Foals confirmed that during the arrest of Whelan found electronic flash media with information constituting a state secret. It is not known who transferred it to him, there are no other defendants in the case of Whelan.

According to Zherebenkov, his client thought that the flash drive contained information “for cultural purposes, for tourists in Russia, about temples, among other things.”

Whelan was interested in Russia, he has friends in this country, said the lawyer and relatives of Paul Whelan, a former marines officer who in recent years led security services at several private companies.

According to Zherebenkov, the FSB began to monitor Whelan as early as his previous visit to Russia in the spring of 2018.

To say more about Whelan does not admit guilt, insisting that he came to Moscow for a friend's wedding.

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