"The request from the United Kingdom for visiting Whelan is being processed by the competent authorities," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
The 48-year-old Whelan is currently in custody. Last week, the Moscow City Court ruled down the appeal to release him from detention. David Whelan, the suspect's brother, said that the family was disappointed but not surprised with the court's decision.
Whelan holds US, Canadian, UK and Irish citizenship and has already received consular visits from three of these countries — Canada, Ireland and the United States. The British side is the only one, which has not visited Whelan in prison yet. The United Kingdom's representatives have not visited Whelan since London has not received a response to the request for consular access to the detainee from the Russian Foreign Ministry so far.
