A former Polish security official arrested by Polish authorities has been charged with spying for China while still working for government institutions, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
Piotr Durbajlo, who was working for Orange Polska at the time of his arrest on January 10, had previously worked for Poland’s Internal Security Agency and the Office of Electronic Communications, among other state institutions between 2000 and 2017, according to a LinkedIn profile in his name.
Spokespeople from Poland's national prosecutor's office and security services declined to comment on the Journal's report.
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On January 11, officials said Mr Durbajlo was arrested along with Chinese national Weijing Wang, an executive of telecommunications equipment maker Huawei, on allegations of spying, in a move that fuels Western security concerns about the Chinese company. The officials did not disclose details of the alleged espionage.
Both men heard charges in a Polish court last week.
Poland’s government could consider limiting the use of Huawei products by public bodies in the wake of the arrests, a government official said on Sunday.
Huawei, the world’s biggest producer of telecommunications equipment, faces intense scrutiny in the West over its relationship with China’s government and US-led allegations that its devices could be used by Beijing for spying.
No evidence has been produced publicly and the company has repeatedly denied the accusations, but several Western countries have restricted Huawei’s access to their markets.
