Snowden not paid for whistleblowing

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, an analyst with a US defence contractor, is seen in this still image taken from video during an interview by The Guardian in his hotel room in Hong Kong, in this June 6, 2013 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

MOSCOW - Former employee of the US National Security Agency Edward Snowden was not paid for revealing classified information, his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said.

In an interview with the government's Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily, published Tuesday, the lawyer said Snowden's financial situation proved he was an altruist.

"He has never traded the secret information and got no money for that even when he still was in Hong Kong. I am certain about that judging from his current financial situation," Kucherena said.

He said Snowden had already spent nearly all his savings and the fugitive whistleblower now lived partly on charity from organizations and private sponsors.

Meanwhile, the lawyer said he had to help Snowden "not only legally but in everyday life as well."

According to Kucherena, his client had high professional skills in the IT industry and "he has a bright future in any country".

At the end of October, Kucherena said Snowden had found a job in Russia.

In August, Snowden has obtained a yearlong residential permit in Russia as a refugee. The status will be canceled once Snowden leaves Russia.

He faces espionage charges in the United States after disclosing a classified intelligence project code-named PRISM.