The Russian Embassy in London has hailed the British Special Immigration Appeals Commission's (SIAC) decision to uphold alleged Russian spy Katia Zatuliveter’s appeal against an order to deport her back to Russia, but said it was disappointed by the non-transparency of the process.
“The Russian Embassy in Great Britain is satisfied by the SIAC ruling,” an official embassy statement said. “The hearings were absolutely non-transparent, which hindered the embassy and media from getting their hands on objective information.”
Zatuliveter, 26, an aide to British Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock, was arrested in August 2010 and then ordered to leave the country on charges of spying for Russia. She had admitted to having a four-year affair with Hancock, who is married, but denied being a spy.
Earlier in October, she began her appeal against the Home Office deportation order.
Zatuliveter's lawyers called the SIAC’s decision “historic.”
“Today in its historic decision the Special Immigration Appeals Commission has cleared Katia and cancelled the deportation order,” Public Interest Lawyers said in a statement, adding that “Katia is definitely very glad with the ruling and hopes to leave this episode behind.”
