Support The Moscow Times!

Cambodia Rejects Russia's Polonsky Extradition Request

Polonsky is wanted in Russia on suspicion of stealing $160 million.

Cambodia's highest court has refused a request from Russia to extradite businessman Sergei Polonsky, who faces fraud charges in his native country, a Cambodian judge said Friday.

Kim Sothavy, a judge in Cambodia's supreme court, said it had turned Russia down because the two countries don't have an extradition agreement, The Associated Press reported.

Polonsky is wanted in Russia on suspicion of stealing $160 million from shareholders in a residential development project in Moscow, and the General Prosecutor's Office issued a request for his extradition last November.

An unidentified Cambodian prosecutor said in January that no decision on the extradition request will be made until a kidnapping case brought against Polonsky in the Asian country has been concluded.

Polonsky was detained in December 2012 after he and two other Russians locked a group of Cambodian sailors in the hold of a yacht during a party.

He spent three months in prison before being released, having agreed a financial settlement with the sailors, though the case against him was never formally closed.

However, Alexander Karabanov, Polonsky's lawyer, said the decision by the courts to turn down Russia's extradition request showed the Cambodian authorities had no further claims on his client, and that the kidnapping case against him had effectively been dismissed, Interfax reported Friday.

Karabanov added that he expected any future requests for Polonsky's extradition to also be rejected.

Read More:
Cambodia Yet to Rule on Polonsky's Extradition

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more