WARSAW, November 29 (RIA Novosti) – The Justice Ministry of Poland will extradite to Russia former Moscow region deputy prosecutor, Alexander Ignatenko, in the nearest future, Justice Minister Jaroslaw Gowin said.
“I may say that this person will be handed over to Russian prosecutors in the nearest future,” said Gowin, who has the final say in the extradition case of Ignatenko to Russia.
Ignatenko, former First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Moscow region, was detained at the Polish ski resort of Zakopane in January with a fake Latvian passport.
“My position, however, that he goes on trial [in Russia] only on several out of all charges pressed against him. Only under this condition Ignatenko will be handed over to the Russian side,” Gowin added.
Ignatenko is wanted in Russia over his alleged connection to an illegal gambling ring in the Moscow region which received protection from his colleagues and local police in exchange for a cut in profits.
According to law enforcement authorities, high-ranking officials in the Russian Prosecutor’s Office and the Interior Ministry were involved in casino operations, which generated between $5 and $10 million in revenue monthly.
Gambling has been illegal in Russia – except in four designated zones – since 2009, but is thought to flourish in a huge undercover business.