Court Confirms Validity Of Verdict On Lawfulness Of Expulsion From Russia Of American National Kent David Lee

On Thursday the presidium of the Moscow City Court declined the supervisory protest of Victor Zhuikov, deputy chairman of the Russian Constitution Court, on judicial petitions from American citizen Kent David Lee on his expulsion from Russia, reports the court. Kent D.Lee, who in Russia led a branch of the American information firm East View Publications (EVP), in the autumn of 1977 was deported from the Russian Federation on suspicion of espionage. The American national appealed against the decision of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) at the Meschanski intermunicipal court of Moscow. On December 23, 1999 the court dismissed his appeal. On March 20 of last year the Moscow City Court confirmed the validity of the decision taken by the lower court and dismissed the petition of lawyer Boris Kuznetsov, who represents the interest of Kent D.Lee. The EVP firm, which opened an office in Moscow in 1992, was officially engaged in "purchasing and spreading world-wide printed products in originals and reproduced forms -- microfilms and microfiches". The Russia secret services found that "the Kent D.Lee-led branch did work in Russia obtaining limited-spread and closed information". The reason for taking a decision to oust Kent D.Lee from Russia was an established fact of his proposing to a Russian national /a Lev Rozhanski/ to get top-secret papers for remuneration for the American "businessman". It was also established that Rozhanski and Kent D.Lee "attempted to get from Russian citizens for monetary remuneration information, including classified, which is not specified in special contracts". Insisting on setting aside the decisions by the Meschanski and Moscow courts, Victor Zhuikov particularly referred to the dismissal of the Rozhanski criminal case. The deputy chairman of the Russian Constitution Court said that the FSB materials contained no other proofs of Kent D.Lee's committing offences for which he could be expelled. The presidium of the Moscow City Court has found the judicial ruling on the Kent D.Lee appeals lawful and sound.