MOSCOW, Dec 22 Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Alexander Uss said, that he is sure of the innocence of his son Artem, who was detained in Italy, and hopes that «this misunderstanding will be resolved.»
The governor's son was detained at Milan's Malpensa International Airport on October 17, from where he was about to fly to Turkey. He spent more than a month in a prison in the northern Italian city of Busto Arsizio. At the end of November, the Milan Court of Appeal ruled that Uss Jr. was placed under house arrest, provided he wore an electronic bracelet.
«This is a big problem for us, and as a father, you understand me, so I hope that this misunderstanding will actually be resolved, since I am sure that my son is not to blame for anything,» Uss told Zvezda TV channel. .
According to him, the situation does not affect his official duties as governor, they are carried out. «In mid-January, the Court of Appeal will be held in the first instance. I believe that the legal arguments that are set out there give reason to hope for a positive resolution of the issue in the vein in which we ask,» the governor added.
Ussa and five other citizens of the Russian Federation were charged in the United States with sanctions evasion and money laundering. Earlier, the American side sent materials on the Uss case to the Milan court for the process of his extradition. Later, the Milan prosecutor's office submitted a positive opinion on this issue to the court. The final decision on the extradition case of Uss must be made by the court of Milan, and then by the Italian Ministry of Justice. Uss himself pleads not guilty. In court, he stated that he had never been to New York, and the last time he was in the United States was 25 years ago at the age of 14. According to him, this contradicts the data given in the accusatory documents of the US Department of Justice.
Russia is also seeking the extradition of Uss Jr.: in his homeland, he has been charged with money laundering on an especially large scale by an organized group. The Meshchansky Court of Moscow issued a warrant for his arrest in absentia. The Consul General of the Russian Federation in Milan said that the documents of the Russian side had already been submitted to the Italian Ministry of Justice.