OMV, an Austrian oil, gas and chemicals group, has dismissed an executive over suspicions of spying for Russia.

Source: Austrian news agency APA, as reported by European Pravda

Details: On 19 September, Austrian news magazine Profil published an investigation into an OMV executive who drew the attention of an Austrian counterintelligence agency because he met with a Russian diplomat.

The executive had worked at OMV for an extended period and was recently involved in a €1 billion merger deal between two of the company’s subsidiaries in Abu Dhabi.

According to Profil, the man had access to information about both companies and reported on them to the Russian diplomat during meetings in Vienna. It is not yet known whether he acted alone or how long his espionage activities had continued.

A search of the OMV employee’s home revealed numerous internal documents, and criminal proceedings have been launched against him.

Austria’s Foreign Ministry told APA that it summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires after the revelations.

“The Russian side has been requested to waive diplomatic immunity for the diplomat involved in the investigation,” the Foreign Ministry added, stating that otherwise the official would be declared persona non grata.

When contacted by Reuters, OMV said it is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities and declined to comment further “for data protection reasons”.

OMV is Central Europe’s largest oil company, headquartered in Vienna. It was among the first Western firms to sign a gas supply agreement with the Soviet Union, though it has since terminated that contract ahead of schedule.

Background: Media reports previously indicated that Western countries are concerned about the activity of Russian spies in Austria, where they formally break no laws unless they act directly against Austria.

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