WARSAW, November 29 - RAPSI. The Polish Justice Ministry will extradite former Moscow Regional Deputy Prosecutor Alexander Ignatenko in the nearest future, Polish Justice Minister Jaroslaw Gowin said.
"My position, however, is as follows. He should be tried [in Russia] only on some of the charges against him. It is on this condition only that Ignatenko will be handed over to Russia," said Gowin, who will have the final say over Ignatenkos extradition.
Ignatenko was named a suspect in the scandalous Moscow illegal casino case in 2011. He was arrested on January 1, 2012 at the Zakopane ski resort in Poland. On June 6, the court extended his detention until October 9.
The illegal casino scandal in the Moscow Region caused a public uproar in 2011. Businessman Ivan Nazarov allegedly operated illegal casinos in 15 towns in the region.
According to law enforcement authorities, high-ranking officials from the prosecutor's offices and the federal Interior Ministry were involved in the operation, which generated between $5 million and $10 million in monthly revenue.
The Nowy Sacz court granted permission for Ignatenko's extradition in February. An appeals court in Krakow upheld the ruling in March. The Nowy Sacz District Court in Poland has extended Ignatenko's detention until February 9.
In early October, Poland received the necessary documents from the Russian Investigative Committee to process the extradition. These had been requested in May.