PROFESSOR BABKIN CLAIMS NOT TO HAVE PASSED ANYTHING TO POPE

Anatoli Babkin, professor at Moscow’s Bauman Polytechnical University who is the main witness in Edmond Pope’s espionage case has reneged on his evidence which he gave at the preliminary investigation, Mr. Babkin’s lawyer Pavel Astakhov has said. In Mr. Astakhov’s words, Professor Babkin has forwarded a letter to the Moscow City Court in which he disavows his earlier evidence, Interfax repots. The lawyer confirms that Professor Babkin admitted at the preliminary investigation to have handed over to Mr. Pope classified information related to the development of underwater high-speed vehicles. However, in the letter addressed to the court, Professor Babkin states that he gave the evidence being pressured by investigators and suffering from a heart attack.