From the Irish Examiner:  A diplomat at the Russian Embassy in Dublin has been fired and asked to leave the country after an investigation revealed Russian involvement in the forgery of Irish passports. …

Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement today, which read:

"Following the disclosure last June of a long-standing Russian espionage operation in the United States, the Garda Síochána were asked to investigate evidence that a number of false Irish passports might have been used by Russian espionage agents. This investigation was undertaken in conjunction with the Passport Service of the Department of Foreign Affairs. …"

"The Garda Síochána report concludes that there is an entirely persuasive picture of Russian intelligence service involvement in the manufacture and use of false documents based on the acquisition of details of six genuine passports belonging to Irish citizens. …"

"The Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs subsequently met with the Russian Ambassador this afternoon to inform the Ambassador that the activities of Russian intelligence services in connection with the forgery of Irish passports and the effective theft of the identity of six Irish citizens are completely unacceptable and not the behaviour the Government would expect from a country with which we have friendly relations."

"The Ambassador was also told that the accreditation of a named member of his staff with diplomatic status is to be terminated, in line with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The individual in question has been asked to leave this jurisdiction by a specified date."  (photo: DEMOTIX)

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