ROME – The city’s public and military prosecutors have requested that Italian Navy officer Walter Biot be indicted on charges of spying for Russia, judicial authorities said Monday.

 Biot, now 55, was arrested last March for allegedly giving a USB drive containing confidential documents to a Russian official in exchange for 5000 euros.

 The officer is currently accused of espionage, disclosure of state secrets and corruption, however military prosecutors accuse him of also"obtaining secret information for the purpose of espionage," "obtaining and disclosing information of a confidential nature," "taking photographs for the purpose of espionage" and "communication abroad of unsolicited secret or confidential news."

 One of Biot's tasks at work was precisely the management of classified dossiers concerning foreign embassies and allied commands, including information about NATO. The frigate captain allegedly photographed classified documents and uploaded the images to the USB stick, which he then handed over to his Russian contact. According to the custodial warrant, the USB contained 181 photos of classified documents, including nine identified as highly confidential, and 47 secret NATO documents.

 Biot is currently being held in the military prison of Santa Maria Capua Vetere in Campania. 

ln