The Krakow Appeals Court agreed with the lower court on Wednesday which ruled to extradite to Russia the former Moscow region deputy prosecutor, Alexander Ignatenko, the court spokesman Wojciech Dziuban said.
“The court upheld the decision to extradite Ignatenko to Russia and the decision on the extension of his arrest until June 9,” Dziuban said.
The ruling is to be confirmed by the justice minister before the extradition goes ahead.
Ignatenko was previously denied bail. The presiding judge said he was a flight risk as he had been on the run from Russian justice, was using a forged Latvian passport, does not permanently reside in Poland and is facing up to 12 years in prison in Russia if convicted.
According to law enforcement authorities, high-ranking officials in the Russian Prosecutor’s Office and the Interior Ministry were involved in the casino operations, which generated $5 to $10 million in revenue monthly.
Gambling has been illegal in Russia – except in four designated zones – since 2009, but is thought to flourish as a huge undercover business.