ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th November, 2022) The Milan Appeals Court on Monday ordered the release of Artem Uss � the son of Alexander Uss, the governor of Russia's Krasnoyarsk Territory � under house arrest, but he remains in custody, Russian Consul General in Milan Dmitry Shtodin told Sputnik on Monday.
Earlier in day, Italian news agency ANSA reported that Artem Uss had been allegedly released from prison and placed under house arrest. He was obliged to wear an electronic bracelet until the end of the judicial review of his extradition to the United States, according to the media outlet.
"Artem Uss has not been released yet. The Appeals Court only decided to transfer him to a rented city apartment in Milan. It is not clear yet when Uss will be released from custody," Shtodin said.
The Russian citizen was actually obliged to wear an electronic bracelet while under house arrest, but the problem is that Italy has a limited number of such devices, which caused a delay in the release of Uss.
"When such a bracelet is found and put on him, Uss will be placed under house arrest. We will monitor the situation," the Russian consul general told Sputnik.
In October, the US Department of Justice charged Uss and four other Russian citizens with sanctions evasion and money laundering. The Russian governor's son was, in particular, accused of using false documents to purchase sensitive US military equipment for the Russian defense sector. Uss was immediately arrested at Milan Malpensa Airport in Italy, from where he was about to fly to Turkey. He has been held in a prison in the city of Busto Arsizio for more than a month.
Earlier in November, Washington transferred materials on the Uss case to the Milan court for his extradition. Last Friday, the prosecutor's office in Milan submitted to the court a positive decision on the issue. The court is now to make a final decision on the extradition of Uss.
The Russian citizen himself has pleaded not guilty. He told Milan the court last Friday that he had never been in New York and the last time he visited the United States was 25 years ago, when he was 14. This information refutes the data in the US charging documents, Uss said.
Moscow, in turn, is seeking the extradition of Uss to Russia, where he is also accused of money laundering on a large scale through an organized group. The Meshchansky District Court of Moscow has issued a warrant for his arrest in absentia.
