Kosovo “gay spy affair” in court

A German spy has been jailed for allowing his gay lover to see German state secrets, London's Guardian has reported. The former German spy and his male lover were found guilty of betraying state secrets and filing fraudulent expense claims during a covert mission to Kosovo, reported the newspaper. Kosovo “gay spy affair” in court The pair met shortly after the spy was sent to Pristina in 2005, where he claimed to be a diplomat, while his mission was to build a network of sources for the secret service, according to the article. “The young man born in Germany was one of his early contacts. He soon became his translator and then partner after being given security clearance by the BND,” writes the Guardian. The lover had been allowed to read classified documents as well as the agent's laptop during bedroom encounters in 2007 and 2008, prosecutors said. The spy's lover was identified as Murat A., and described as being connected to organized crime “and a foreign spy service”. According to the indictment, he also gained access to names of the agents and a British operative's report and sought to sell the information, said reports, but added that “no proof of this was presented at the trial”. The case was uncovered by the German spy's wife, who, “looking for evidence of infidelity, discovered her husband had removed her name from his life insurance policy and made his interpreter the beneficiary”. The woman then notified the German intelligence agency BND, said reports. “The case is an enormous embarrassment for the BND, which must concede that one of its agents was out of control for years. It has also been criticized for bringing the case to court, potentially putting other contacts at risk, rather than sorting out the problem internally,” the Guardian article concludes.

Kosovo “gay spy affair” in court

The pair met shortly after the spy was sent to Priština in 2005, where he claimed to be a diplomat, while his mission was to build a network of sources for the secret service, according to the article.

“The young man born in Germany was one of his early contacts. He soon became his translator and then partner after being given security clearance by the BND,” writes the Guardian.

The lover had been allowed to read classified documents as well as the agent's laptop during bedroom encounters in 2007 and 2008, prosecutors said.

The spy's lover was identified as Murat A., and described as being connected to organized crime “and a foreign spy service”.

According to the indictment, he also gained access to names of the agents and a British operative's report and sought to sell the information, said reports, but added that “no proof of this was presented at the trial”.

The case was uncovered by the German spy's wife, who, “looking for evidence of infidelity, discovered her husband had removed her name from his life insurance policy and made his interpreter the beneficiary”.

The woman then notified the German intelligence agency BND, said reports.

“The case is an enormous embarrassment for the BND, which must concede that one of its agents was out of control for years. It has also been criticized for bringing the case to court, potentially putting other contacts at risk, rather than sorting out the problem internally,” the Guardian article concludes.