A Moscow court on Friday ordered Renato Usatii, a Moldovan businessman and politician, arrested on financial fraud charges, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the hearing
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2020) A Moscow court on Friday ordered Renato Usatii, a Moldovan businessman and politician, arrested on financial fraud charges, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the hearing.
"The court ruled to satisfy the investigation's request and chose detention as a restraining measure in [Usatii's] absentia," judge Alexei Krivoruchko said.
The Russian Interior Ministry accuses Usatii of illegally moving 500 billion rubles ($7 billion) out of Russia through a Moldovan bank with the help of Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc.
The politician will be detained for two months if he comes to Russia, which has issued an international arrest warrant. His lawyer, Murat Musayev, told Sputnik that Moldova does not extradite its nationals.
Usatii is the leader of Our Party, a leftist opposition party in Moldova. He wrote on Facebook on Thursday that the case against him was trumped up and accused President Igor Dodon of being behind it. He also denied rumors he had fled Moldova.
