Germany's foreign intelligence service BND suffered "serious reputational damage" due to the Russian espionage scandal, its chief Bruno Kahl said on Wednesday.
"An insider is one of the worst things that can happen to an intelligence service," Kahl said in testimony at the trial of a former German intelligence officer in a Berlin court.
He said it was a "catastrophe" for the BND intelligence service that one of its members betrayed state secrets and leaked confidential information to the Russian Federal Security Service.
After his brief statement, the hearing was closed to the public, in order to protect classified and confidential national security information.
Former German intelligence officer Carsten L. was arrested in 2022 and charged with treason for leaking secret information to a Russian intelligence agency. His accomplice, businessman Arthur E., was arrested last year.
The ex-intelligence officer is accused of printing out secret material from his computer at the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) headquarters and selling this sensitive information to the Russians.
Arthur E. was accused of acting as a courier and passing on this material to intelligence officers in Russia. They allegedly received around €400,000 ($431,000) from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
German authorities have carried out several probes in recent years against alleged Russian spies and informants, and expelled dozens of Russian diplomats, accusing them of conducting covert activities to destabilize the country's democratic system.
Germany's relations with Russia have been strained over the war in Ukraine, with Berlin accusing Moscow of war crimes, halting bilateral cooperation, and imposing tough economic sanctions.
