Arrested ASML employee had contact with Russian intelligence service: Prosecutor
The former ASML employee arrested a few months ago on suspicion of stealing trade secrets was in contact with the Russin intelligence service SVR, Nieuwsuur reported based on an official report from the general intelligence service AIVD to the Public Prosecution Service (OM). The man, while in the Netherlands, had contact with an SVR employee, the OM said during a pro-forma hearing against the former ASML worker on Thursday.
Early in December, Nieuwsuur reported that a Russian engineer who worked at ASML and NXP had been arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of stealing trade secrets and violating sanctions. In court on Thursday, the OM revealed that the man allegedly stole manuals and other digital documents and shared them with a contact in Russia via Google Drive.
According to the OM, the contact in Russia works for the Russian Innovative Engineering Center, which finances projects to obtain technology from abroad. The company has major Russian companies as customers, including the oil companies Gazprom and Rosneft and the arms manufacturer Rostec.
The OM also believes that the suspect took data to Russia himself using USB sticks. Investigation showed that he made several suspiciously short trips to Moscow.
The man is still in custody in the Netherlands, awaiting his trial. Despite the fact that he is still only a suspect, Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber imposed a 20-year entry ban on him. That only happens to people who pose a threat to national security.
