The defense of Artem Uss, the son of the governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Alexander Uss, intends to appeal in cassation the decision of an Italian court to extradite him to the United States, where the Russian is accused of circumventing sanctions and money laundering.
The Milan Court of Appeal earlier decided to extradite Ussa to the US authorities, the newspaper la Repubblica reports.
According to the chairman of the court, Giuseppe Ondei, the "fifth section on criminal cases" established that "there are conditions for the extradition to the United States of America of a" citizen of the Russian Federation "on charges of violating the embargo against Venezuela and bank fraud."
At the same time, the court did not find grounds for extradition on two other counts (alleged smuggling of "dual-use" military technologies and alleged laundering of millions of dollars) due to the lack of evidence of a causal relationship, the statement said, quoted by the Italian edition.
In turn, Oss, who denies guilt in the crimes incriminated to him by the American authorities, applied for satisfaction of the request for extradition to Russia.
"Hand me over to the Russian authorities, do not extradite me to the United States," he said in January at a hearing in a Milan court in connection with the receipt in November 2022 of a request for his extradition to Russia on charges of money laundering.
Artyom Uss was detained at the Malpensa airport in Milan on October 17.
As RAPSI previously reported, he was released under house arrest by the Milan Court of Appeal in November 2022. Thus, the court granted the petition of the Russian citizen's defense, despite the objections of the prosecutor's office.
On October 19, 2022, it became known that five Russian citizens and two Venezuelan oil traders were charged with circumventing sanctions and money laundering. The US Department of Justice said that 12 charges were brought against Russians Yuri Orekhov, Artem Uss, Svetlana Kuzurgasheva, Timofey Telegin and Sergey Tulyakov, oil traders Juan Fernando Serrano Ponce and Juan Carlos Soto.
According to the US authorities, the defendants " participated in a scheme to illegally obtain US military technology and sanctioned Venezuelan oil."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation considered the detentions of Russian citizens abroad "as a continuation of the large-scale campaign launched by Washington to capture Russians."
The official representative of the ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted that the detained citizens of the Russian Federation "are used by the US authorities as political hostages, and once again the American justice system acts in an extraterritorial manner, referring to the alleged violation of its sanctions regime." According to her, "another attempt was made to arrange a show massacre in order to intimidate business circles in Russia and abroad."
Artem Uss, the son of the governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Alexander Uss, escaped from house arrest in Italy, cutting off an electronic bracelet. Artyom is currently being searched for. This is reported by local media, in particular, the ANSA news agency.
----
The United States is offering $7 million for data on the whereabouts of businessman Artem Uss, the son of Senator from the Krasnoyarsk Territory and ex-governor of the region Alexander Uss, according to the State Department website.
The award was announced "as part of the rewards program for combating transnational organized crime", the amount will be paid for information that will allow Ussa to be detained. The agency asked to send information concerning the entrepreneur to the FBI.
According to the US Department of Justice, the businessman and several other Russians participated in schemes to sell oil from Venezuela using shell companies and cryptocurrencies. Authorities also suspect them of illegal exports and money laundering operations through their joint venture and Hamburg-registered company Nord-Deutsche Industrieanlagenbau GmbH (NDA GmbH). "As owners of NDA GmbH, Oss and his accomplice engaged in various activities in violation of U.S. criminal laws and sanctions," the State Department said in a statement.
In the fall of 2022, Ussa was detained at Milan airport at the request of the United States. A month later, he was placed under house arrest, which the businessman served in a villa in the municipality of Basillo (the Italian authorities later seized it and other assets of the entrepreneur), but in March 2023, after the court approved the extradition of the Russian to the United States, he escaped and returned to Russia.
Oss explained the escape by saying that the Italian court showed "clear political bias" and readiness to " bend under US pressure." Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica wrote that Russian special services could help the entrepreneur. The State Department, commenting on these events, said that Russia violated the sovereignty of Italy. Uss Sr., who left the post of governor in April and became a senator in June, did not comment on the versions of his son's escape, but thanked everyone who supported him, especially President Vladimir Putin. The ex-governor noted that his son is innocent.
In Russia, a money laundering case has also been opened against Uss Jr.; after the businessman was detained in Milan, the Interior Ministry put him on the wanted list, and the Meshchansky Court arrested him in absentia. When Oss returned, the measure of restraint was changed to his own recognizance.
----
In Europe, two of the five alleged organizers of the escape of Ussa were detained.
Boris (left) and Vladimir Jovancici
Italian authorities, together with Eurojust and American law enforcement agencies, are conducting operations to detain alleged accomplices of Russian businessman Artem Uss, who escaped from house arrest in March last year, ANSA reports.
Operations are taking place in Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. The suspects included Bosnian-born father and son Vladimir and Boris Jovancic, Serbs Srdjan Lolic and Nebojsa Ilic, and Slovenian Matej Janezic.
Two of Ussa's five alleged accomplices, Vladimir and Boris Yovanchich, were detained. Jovancic Jr. was detained in the Italian province of Brescia. According to the agency, he owns a Volvo V60 car, which was among the cars on which Ussa was taken out of Italy.
Vladimir Jovancic was detained in Croatia. The US Department of Justice reported that the arrests took place on December 4. Yovancic Sr., 52, was indicted the next day on two counts of obstruction of justice and facilitating the escape from custody. He was arrested.
According to US investigators, "Jovancic and others associated with the Serbian organized criminal group were recruited by Uss to help him escape to Russia in the event of extradition." Jovancic met with Ussa's wife in a hotel in Milan, and she paid him 10 thousand euros.
The Bosnian first came to Uss, who is under house arrest, under the guise of delivery. On the day of the escape, Jovancic "escorted Uss to a car and provided him with bolt cutters", which the Russian used to get rid of the electronic tracking bracelet.
Then Ussa, according to American investigators, was taken to Slovenia. For several days the group stayed there, in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then crossed the border into Serbia. At the airport of Serbia before departure, the Oss paid Jovancic another €40 thousand.
The Milan Court of Appeal earlier decided to extradite Ussa to the US authorities, the newspaper la Repubblica reports.
According to the chairman of the court, Giuseppe Ondei, the "fifth section on criminal cases" established that "there are conditions for the extradition to the United States of America of a" citizen of the Russian Federation "on charges of violating the embargo against Venezuela and bank fraud."
At the same time, the court did not find grounds for extradition on two other counts (alleged smuggling of "dual-use" military technologies and alleged laundering of millions of dollars) due to the lack of evidence of a causal relationship, the statement said, quoted by the Italian edition.
In turn, Oss, who denies guilt in the crimes incriminated to him by the American authorities, applied for satisfaction of the request for extradition to Russia.
"Hand me over to the Russian authorities, do not extradite me to the United States," he said in January at a hearing in a Milan court in connection with the receipt in November 2022 of a request for his extradition to Russia on charges of money laundering.
Artyom Uss was detained at the Malpensa airport in Milan on October 17.
As RAPSI previously reported, he was released under house arrest by the Milan Court of Appeal in November 2022. Thus, the court granted the petition of the Russian citizen's defense, despite the objections of the prosecutor's office.
On October 19, 2022, it became known that five Russian citizens and two Venezuelan oil traders were charged with circumventing sanctions and money laundering. The US Department of Justice said that 12 charges were brought against Russians Yuri Orekhov, Artem Uss, Svetlana Kuzurgasheva, Timofey Telegin and Sergey Tulyakov, oil traders Juan Fernando Serrano Ponce and Juan Carlos Soto.
According to the US authorities, the defendants " participated in a scheme to illegally obtain US military technology and sanctioned Venezuelan oil."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation considered the detentions of Russian citizens abroad "as a continuation of the large-scale campaign launched by Washington to capture Russians."
The official representative of the ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted that the detained citizens of the Russian Federation "are used by the US authorities as political hostages, and once again the American justice system acts in an extraterritorial manner, referring to the alleged violation of its sanctions regime." According to her, "another attempt was made to arrange a show massacre in order to intimidate business circles in Russia and abroad."
Artem Uss, the son of the governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Alexander Uss, escaped from house arrest in Italy, cutting off an electronic bracelet. Artyom is currently being searched for. This is reported by local media, in particular, the ANSA news agency.
----
The United States is offering $7 million for data on the whereabouts of businessman Artem Uss, the son of Senator from the Krasnoyarsk Territory and ex-governor of the region Alexander Uss, according to the State Department website.
The award was announced "as part of the rewards program for combating transnational organized crime", the amount will be paid for information that will allow Ussa to be detained. The agency asked to send information concerning the entrepreneur to the FBI.
According to the US Department of Justice, the businessman and several other Russians participated in schemes to sell oil from Venezuela using shell companies and cryptocurrencies. Authorities also suspect them of illegal exports and money laundering operations through their joint venture and Hamburg-registered company Nord-Deutsche Industrieanlagenbau GmbH (NDA GmbH). "As owners of NDA GmbH, Oss and his accomplice engaged in various activities in violation of U.S. criminal laws and sanctions," the State Department said in a statement.
In the fall of 2022, Ussa was detained at Milan airport at the request of the United States. A month later, he was placed under house arrest, which the businessman served in a villa in the municipality of Basillo (the Italian authorities later seized it and other assets of the entrepreneur), but in March 2023, after the court approved the extradition of the Russian to the United States, he escaped and returned to Russia.
Oss explained the escape by saying that the Italian court showed "clear political bias" and readiness to " bend under US pressure." Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica wrote that Russian special services could help the entrepreneur. The State Department, commenting on these events, said that Russia violated the sovereignty of Italy. Uss Sr., who left the post of governor in April and became a senator in June, did not comment on the versions of his son's escape, but thanked everyone who supported him, especially President Vladimir Putin. The ex-governor noted that his son is innocent.
In Russia, a money laundering case has also been opened against Uss Jr.; after the businessman was detained in Milan, the Interior Ministry put him on the wanted list, and the Meshchansky Court arrested him in absentia. When Oss returned, the measure of restraint was changed to his own recognizance.
----
In Europe, two of the five alleged organizers of the escape of Ussa were detained.
Boris (left) and Vladimir Jovancici
Italian authorities, together with Eurojust and American law enforcement agencies, are conducting operations to detain alleged accomplices of Russian businessman Artem Uss, who escaped from house arrest in March last year, ANSA reports.
Operations are taking place in Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. The suspects included Bosnian-born father and son Vladimir and Boris Jovancic, Serbs Srdjan Lolic and Nebojsa Ilic, and Slovenian Matej Janezic.
Two of Ussa's five alleged accomplices, Vladimir and Boris Yovanchich, were detained. Jovancic Jr. was detained in the Italian province of Brescia. According to the agency, he owns a Volvo V60 car, which was among the cars on which Ussa was taken out of Italy.
Vladimir Jovancic was detained in Croatia. The US Department of Justice reported that the arrests took place on December 4. Yovancic Sr., 52, was indicted the next day on two counts of obstruction of justice and facilitating the escape from custody. He was arrested.
According to US investigators, "Jovancic and others associated with the Serbian organized criminal group were recruited by Uss to help him escape to Russia in the event of extradition." Jovancic met with Ussa's wife in a hotel in Milan, and she paid him 10 thousand euros.
The Bosnian first came to Uss, who is under house arrest, under the guise of delivery. On the day of the escape, Jovancic "escorted Uss to a car and provided him with bolt cutters", which the Russian used to get rid of the electronic tracking bracelet.
Then Ussa, according to American investigators, was taken to Slovenia. For several days the group stayed there, in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then crossed the border into Serbia. At the airport of Serbia before departure, the Oss paid Jovancic another €40 thousand.
