Australian judge rules that a case against alleged Russian spies must be finalized by December

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — An Australian judge on Friday gave prosecutors until December to finalize their case alleging that an army private and her husband are Russian spies.

Russian-born couple Kira and Igor Korolev in July became the first suspected foreign operatives to be charged under Australia’s modernized espionage laws since they were enacted in 2018.

Prosecutor Ellie McDonald told Magistrate Peter Saggers in Brisbane city that investigators need more time to gather evidence from the Brisbane-based couple’s electronic devices.

“There’s a significant volume of material in this matter. There’s 12 devices seized,” she said.

Saggers ordered a full brief of evidence be provided to defense lawyers by Dec. 13 and for the case to return to court on Dec. 20.

Kira Korolev, a 40-year-old information systems technician, has been suspended from the army since her arrest. Her 62-year-old husband is a self-employed laborer.

Neither appeared in court on Friday, the second time their case has been before a judge. Their lawyers have not sought their release on bail or indicated how they will plea to a charge each of preparation for espionage offences. The maximum penalty if convicted is 15 years in prison.

If sufficient evidence was found that the information had been shared with Russia, the charges could be upgraded and the potential maximum prison terms upon conviction would be 25 years or life.

The couple have been in Australia for a decade.

Police allege Kira Korolev did not declare to Australian authorities her travel to Russia in 2023 while on leave from the army. She is also accused of coaching her husband to access her official work computer account.

She allegedly guided her husband on how to access specific information and