The Estonian Spy Case - Herman Simm
Ran into this in a newsletter I receive. It is also very relevant to NATO.
Quote:
IHT
Estonia: Ex-security official accused of spying
The Associated Press Published: September 22, 2008
TALLINN, Estonia: The former head of security at the Estonian Defense Ministry has been arrested, suspected of spying, an official said Monday.
Gerrit Maesalu, a spokesman for prosecutor Lavly Lepp, said the Harju county court on Sunday issued a warrant to arrest Herman Simm, 61, on suspicion of treason. ....
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/...y-Suspects.php
Quote:
Kommersant
Sep. 23, 2008
........
Estonian police have arrested high-ranking member of the Defense Ministry Herman Simm on accusations of espionage. His wife Heete Simm, a police lawyer, faces similarly charges. Estonian authorities have not named the country the couple were providing information to, but Estonian media and local experts claim it was Russia. Herman Simm, 61, was responsible for military secrets. In spite of several earlier claims by the government of Russian espionage operations in the country, this is the first spy case in the modern history of the country in which an actual agent has been identified......
http://www.kommersant.com:80/p103016...onage_Estonia/
Quote:
bbn
Procecutors seize property of suspected Russian spy Herman Simm
Toomas Hõbemägi
25.09.2008 08:39
Public prosecutor Lavly Lepp has arrested all assets of Herman Simm and his wife who are suspected of having spied for Russians.
Eesti Päevaleht writes that the objective is to restrict transactions with the real estate owed by Simm who is believed to have fed NATO secrets to Russians for years as head of security department of Estonian Ministry of Defence.
According to the real estate registry, Simms own seven properties including large land holdings in Raplamaa, Suure-Jaani, Ida-Virumaa, Saue, Padise and Pärnu. Among others, the prosecutor seized his 500 square metre apartment near Tallinn.
http://www.balticbusinessnews.com/De...307e2c&ref=rss
Herman Simm Wiki Bio
Quote:
Herman Simm (born May 29, 1947 in Suure-Jaani) is a former chief the Estonian Defence Ministry's security department. On September 21, 2008, Simm was arrested with his wife Heete Simm on suspiction of illegal collecting and communicating classified information for Russia. In spite of several earlier claims by the government of Russian espionage operations in the country,[1] the Simm case is the first since the restoration of Estonia's independence in 1991 in which an actual agent has been identified and declared suspect in treason.[2] The criminal case is processed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and by the Security Police Board who co-operate with the Information Board and with the Ministry of Defence. According to the Penal Code, treason is punished with an imprisonment of three to fifteen years.[3] ......
.....
[1] Estonia Catches Its First Spy, Kommersant, September 23, 2008.
[2] Estonia: Ex-security official accused of spying, The International Herald Tribune, September 22, 2008.
[3] Law of Penalty of the Repblic of Estonia, §232.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Simm
Fallout from Herman Simm .....
views differ for various reasons, discussed here.
Quote:
Baltic Times
NEWS
Treason: the real cost of Simm’s betrayal
Oct 01, 2008
....
TALLINN - While some fear Estonia’s reputation as a NATO partner has been tarnished and others believe it’s stronger, most agree that national defense has been severely compromised by a deviant individual and some suspect widespread espionage. But where exactly does Estonia stand after Herman Simm’s treason?
Ask any Estonian whether Russia should be perceived as a threat and the answer is nearly always the same: Yes. The notion that history repeats itself seems deeply ingrained in the thoughts of Baltic citizens, and given the lengthy and disastrous consequences of the Soviet occupation, this hardly comes as a surprise.
With this in mind, it’s no wonder that the nation has bestowed upon Simm the status of public enemy number one. There’s nothing redeemable about selling state secrets to a nation’s long-term oppressor, especially when residual skepticism of Russia has existed in the Baltic states since their independence in the early ’90s.
Even more alarming, a British former civil servant has informed The Baltic Times that this might not be a one-off case, but part of a wider breach of national security. .....
http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/21475/
The 3-15 year sentence range for treason and espionage (noted in OP and in above article) seems a bit light - no.
1,000 Euros per month - Secretly
The latest in the Simm case made it to the papers this morning. Declaring Simm received 1,000 euros a month (but without indicating just how long he had received payments, or, how he received them).
The Interior Minister is quoted as saying Simm did not lead a luxurious lifestyle, but continued, that one can purchase smaller things and need not purchase land to be rich.
The amount of these payments has now cast doubt among both the defense and prosecuting attorneys as quoted in Õhtuleht.
EDIT:
Yet another paper (considered the source of the above article) indicates that the justice department would not have arrested Simm based on the facts above. Päevaleht also discloses Simm's MOD salary and Police pension. Both figures much larger than what he is accused of secretly receiving.
Not looking good for a spy novel !
The numbers compute, but ...
Quote:
15,600 - alleged "spy pay"
18,000 - MOD salary
50,000 - police pension
do not add up to what would be expected to turn someone. Herman was well above middle-class without the 15.6K (police pension looks huge = 4 middle class families).
I think we should indulge ourselves here in the presumption of innocence, until some better evidence turns up - e.g., Swiss bank account, ideology or an admission by Herman.
One wonders if Herman made some enemies when he was a cop ?
Intel efforts are usually fishy on several levels.
not really enough known here to make any sensible determination and that is unlikely to change...
MI5 to unravel spy’s treachery
From The Sunday Times
Quote:
Officers from MI5’s counter-espionage section are investigating possible damage caused to Britain and the West by Herman Simm, a high-ranking Estonian security official who has confessed to spying for Russia.
In an operation worthy of a 1960s spy novel, Simm is reported to have used an antiquated radio transmitter to send classified information to Russia.
He is accused of betraying Nato plans for Kosovo’s independence; the position of the alliance on last summer’s war between Russia and Georgia; and secrets from the American missile shield in Europe.