US State Department employee accused of links with Chinese intelligence agents

Baku. 30 March. REPORT.AZ/ A veteran US state department employee with access to sensitive information has been accused of concealing her contacts with Chinese intelligence agents, Report informs, US justice department says.

A criminal complaint said 60-year-old Candace Marie Claiborne received tens of thousands of dollars in gifts.

The employee has been charged with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements to the FBI.

She was arrested on Tuesday. In court on Wednesday she pleaded not guilty.

Ms Claiborne started working for the state department in 1999 and served at a number of foreign missions, including Iraq, Sudan and China.