A Russian businessman charged with shipping oil from Venezuela in breach of sanctions and bank fraud has been recaptured after fleeing house arrest in Italy. Artem Uss, whose father is governor of Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region, recently told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency he is back in Russia,despite the Italian court’s order to extradite him to the U.S.
Uss claims the charges against him are politically motivated and the court declined to extradite him over two counts – smuggling military technology to Russia and money laundering. He told the RIA Novosti agency that he has been helped by reliable people during these dramatic days.
RIA Novosti is the official news agency of Russia and was founded in 1941. It is closely tied to the Kremlin, and has a wide reach, including a focus on international coverage. It delivers news, opinion pieces and multimedia content to a global audience.
Uss is a prominent Russian businessman who had been house arrested in Italy. He was set to to face charges in the United States over breaking sanctions and other financial fraud-related charges. However, he was able to escape the house arrest order, triggering an alarm on his electronic tag just hours after the court ordered his extradition. This initiated a manhunt across Europe, with Uss eventually being recaptured back in Russia.
