Provists arrest at least five executives, supposed Federation operatives

New Caldari – Five executives, two of whom had recently resigned from their posts as part of a State-wide protest against the policies of State Executor Tibus Heth, have been arrested by the Caldari Provincial Directorate under charges of espionage and treason. The executives were all arrested shortly after 13:00 EST in a coordinated raid.

Two of the executives, former-Wiyrkomi vice president Ikane Hadonei and former-Sukuuvestaa CTO Genkarhaadan Nineven, had resigned as part of the mass-resignation that occurred last week. Nineven in particular had been exceedingly harsh in his denouncement of the Heth regime following his resignation, telling reporters in an interview, “The State is no longer the place I was born into. The 'meritocratic reforms' are a lie. Leaving my position was an incredibly difficult decision, but when I saw others doing it, I knew I couldn't sit by any more. If the cowardly CEP is happy to let our culture and way of life be destroyed, then I am tired of yelling into deaf ears. Better to take my wealth, go somewhere else, and make a better place for true Caldari.”

Nineven was reportedly arrested following a raid on his suite which left three members of his security staff hospitalized. Ikane Hadonei was arrested in the middle of an interview with Zoar and Sons. The other three executives, Mecantile Club Chief Procurement Officer Okkala Sahola, State and Region Bank's Chief Commercial Officer Sandere Lourdhen, and CBD Sell Division's Public Relations Officer Evvlynne Deermin were arrested in their corporate offices.

The Provists initially refused to release any statements on the arrests or even acknowledge their occurrence, but shortly before press time issued a short bulletin saying, “These high-profile individuals were identified by our investigations as having ties to Federation intelligence and being involved in a prolonged plan to destabilize the State government.”

CBD Sell Division released a statement saying, “We take accusations of treason and espionage very seriously. We will cooperate fully with investigators to uncover the full truth.” Meanwhile, both the Mercantile Club and State and Region Bank have put their full support behind the arrested executives, promising the weight of their legal divisions in defending the accused.

Rumors have claimed that others, particularly those involved in the mass resignations, have been arrested, but none have been confirmed.