Former Russian senator detained in Italy on Moscow fraud warrant

Viktor Khoroshavtsev, a former senator from Russia’s Udmurtia region who is accused of fraud in Russia, has been detained in Italy on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by Moscow.

According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, a Milan court refused a request to place Khoroshavtsev in custody and ordered his release. His defence argued that judicial cooperation with Russia is no longer possible following Moscow’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe and its termination of participation in relevant international agreements.

The newspaper reported that Khoroshavtsev was detained on December 25 at a hotel in northern Italy, where he had travelled to visit his daughter. He currently resides in Spain and holds a residence permit there.

The former senator also has Israeli citizenship. Corriere della Sera noted that a court in Madrid had previously rejected an extradition request in his case. The publication added that Khoroshavtsev’s name has appeared in investigative journalism reports linked to business activities in the United Arab Emirates and Croatia.

In Russia, Khoroshavtsev faces six counts of large-scale fraud. Case materials identify the State Deposit Insurance Agency as the injured party. In May, Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court ordered his arrest in absentia, and he was subsequently placed on federal and international wanted lists.

Khoroshavtsev served as a member of Russia’s Federation Council representing Udmurtia from 2003 to 2009. After leaving parliament, he was appointed chief executive officer of Sistema-Invest, a subsidiary of AFK Sistema. During his tenure, Russia’s eighth-largest oil producer, Bashneft, as well as the entire fuel and energy complex of Bashkortostan, came under his management.

By Tamilla Hasanova