Aleksejs Holostovs, a former member of the Harmony political party (which draws much of its support from Latvia's large Russian minority) told the LETA news service he was "surprised" at the allegation of spying from Russia but declined further comment, saying he was unaware that he had been called a spy.
According to a report to be broadcast Sunday by Russian TV channel NTV, Holostovs was believed to be spying for the Latvian security service, which was in turn working for the US' Central Intelligence Agency.
The channel, using footage apparently obtained with hidden cameras, showed pictures of Holostovs saying he was recruited "seven or eight years ago" and had been pressured into spying on Russian officials including Duma members by threats and blackmail.
Latvian Foreign Ministry spokesman Karlis Eihenbaums told Latvian Radio the incident was being investigated by the Latvian authorities to ascertain the precise facts, but that Russia's action in expelling Holostovs was not helpful.
"At the moment we can say that such behavior is extremely regrettable. Such events, when foreign nationals are expelled or are declared persona non grata should exceptional cases... What we see now, unfortunately, is that it is happening more and more often. It can be explained by the fact that Russia, in its international relations, is not behaving in line with what we would expect in the 21st century."
Holostovs served as a member of the 9th and 10th Saeimas as a Harmony lawmaker (then known as Harmony Center) but quit the party last year and is believed to be pursuing business interests.
