MOSCOW, January 3. /TASS/. Former Moscow Region Finance Minister Alexei Kuznetsov accused of fraud and embezzlement to the tune of 14 bln rubles ($ 201.3 mln) has been extradited from France to Russia, the press service of the Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office informed TASS.

"The French competent authorities have complied with the request of the Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office concerning the extradition of former Moscow Region Finance Minister Alexei Kuznetsov for criminal prosecution under Part 4 of Section 159, Part 4 of Section 160 and Part 3 of Section 174.1 of Russia’s Criminal Code. Kuznetsov is accused of committing fraud (ten crimes), embezzlement (three crimes) and legalizing property acquired as a result of committing crimes (nine crimes)," the Prosecutor-General’s Office said.

According to investigators, Kuznetsov and his accomplices inflicted damage on the Moscow Region government, housing and utility enterprises and the Mosobltransinvest company to the tune of over 14 bln rubles.

On January 3, Kuznetsov accompanied by officers of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service and the Russian Interpol Bureau was extradited to Russia. "This became possible due the fact that the senior officials of the Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office place special emphasis on international cooperation and are actively involved in it. Permanent cooperation with our French counterparts makes it possible for us to overcome the existing barriers caused by differences in our legal systems," the Prosecutor-General’s Office noted.</s>France has extradited the former Moscow regional finance minister to Russia. The once high-ranking official and his American wife stand accused of embezzling billions of rubles from the regional budget.

The French law enforcement “have complied with the extradition request,” the Russian Prosecutor General's office said in a statement, adding that the former official, identified as Aleksey Kuznetsov, arrived to Russia on January 3, accompanied by the Russian Interpol agents and the officers of the Federal Penal Correction Service.

Kuznetsov's case dates back to 2010, when he was charged with 10 counts of fraud, 3 counts of embezzlement, as well as with legalization of criminal assets. The damage his criminal actions inflicted to the Moscow region government, local housing and utility services as well as some local businesses amounted to an astonishing 14 billion rubles ($200mn).

According to the prosecutors, he committed his crimes together with his wife, a US citizen called Janna Bullock. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison in absentia in Russia over complicity in Kuznetsov's crimes in January 2018. However, her whereabouts are unknown at the moment. It is also unclear if she and Kuznetsov got divorced since then.

The former finance minister, who had also served as the regional government's deputy head, had already fled Russia by the time he faced the charges, so the Russian authorities put him on an international wanted list. He was eventually arrested three years later in France. France's financial prosecutor also opened a separate case against Kuznetsov and Bullock over legalization of his illegally obtained assets in France.

As part of the investigation, assets belonging to the couple in France and Switzerland that were believed to be purchased with criminal money were seized. The list includes hotels Crystal and Pralong in France, an apartment in Paris, two apartments in Switzerland, a villa in Saint-Tropez, as well as 27 paintings and eight sculptures, 10 Rolls-Royce, Mercedes and Bentley cars and a yacht. The assets were then sold to repay the victims, according to TASS.

In November 2017, the French prime minister issued a decree on Kuznetsov's extradition. The former Russian official then appealed this decision but lost his case in the French court on December 28, 2018.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office praised the work of its French colleagues by saying that “timely cooperation” with Paris allowed it to “break down the barriers” in this case. It also said that it also “gives particular importance to international cooperation.”

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!</s>France has extradited a former finance minister of the Moscow region suspected of embezzling $200 million, five years after Russian prosecutors had put in an extradition request.

Alexei Kuznetsov was put on an international wanted list after he left Russia in 2008 for charges of fraud, embezzlement and money laundering. Prosecutors believe the former minister, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, embezzled 14 billion rubles ($202.7 million) with his accomplices.

In a statement on Thursday, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said that Kuznetsov had been extradited to Russia.</s>Russia says France has extradited a former regional finance official to face trial on multiple counts of fraud, misuse of funds, and money laundering following a long legal battle.

Aleksei Kuznetsov was "extradited to Russia accompanied by staff from the Russian prison service and the Russian bureau of Interpol," the international police agency, the Prosecutor-General's office said on January 3.

There were no immediate comments from French authorities.

Kuznetsov served as finance minister for the Moscow region between 2000 and 2008.

According to investigators, he, along with "accomplices," caused losses of more than 11 billion rubles ($160 million) to the regional government.

The money was allegedly used to buy property abroad.

Kuznetsov was arrested in southern France in the summer of 2013 and appealed against his extradition in French courts over the following years.

In January 2018, a Russian court convicted Kuznetsov's former wife, Janna Bullock, of large-scale fraud and money laundering and sentenced her to 11 years in prison after a trial in absentia.

Bullock is an American citizen and the United States refuses to extradite her to Russia.

She has said she and her ex-husband were victims of corruption in Russia.

Based on reporting by AFP, TASS, and Interfax
The Prosecutor General of Russia Yury Chaika says that France today extradited Alexei Viktorovich Kuznetsov [ru], a former Finance Minister of the Moscow Region who is accused of fraud and embezzlement amounting to 14 billion Russian rubles (US$200 million).