The premier on the affair of the escape of the Russian entrepreneur: “I reserve the right to speak to Minister Nordio”. And he adds: “I believe the main anomaly is the decision of the Court of Appeal to keep him under house arrest for questionable reasons and to maintain the decision even when there was a decision on extradition”. Meanwhile, the oppositions are asking the government to report in Parliament
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has returned to the case of the escape of the Russian entrepreneur Artem Uss. “I reserve the right to talk about it with Minister Nordio, there are certainly anomalies” and “the main anomaly I believe is the decision of the Court of Appeal to keep him under house arrest for questionable reasons and to maintain the decision even when there was a decision on extradition “, he said. From the report sent by the Court of Milan to the ministry, it emerges that the Minister of Justice “did not send the judges the US note asking for USS to be returned to prison but the answer that he himself had given to that note”. Meanwhile, the oppositions are asking the government to report to Parliament.
The escape of Uss
Artem Uss, the Russian businessman, had fled from house arrest – in a rented house in the Milanese province – the day after the go-ahead from the Milan Court of Appeal for his extradition to the United States. A story, that of his escape, still to be clarified, on which the shadow of the Russian secret services weighs and at the risk of a diplomatic incident with the USA. The 40-year-old son of Alexander Uss, powerful governor of the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk and a friend of Putin, was arrested on October 17 at Malpensa on a US mandate on charges of alleged illicit trafficking of civilian and military material, smuggling of oil from Venezuela to China and Russia, money laundering and bank fraud. He had remained in his cell until 2 December and then had been placed under house arrest with an electronic bracelet in acceptance of a request from the defence. The US Justice Department had then sent a note to via Arenula asking for USS to be returned to prison until extradition, signaling the very high risk of flight. Note, according to what the Court of Appeal of Milan maintains in the report sent to the inspectors, that it was not forwarded to it by Minister Nordio, who limited himself to forwarding to the judges only his own response in which he explained that the decision was of the judicial authority and he reassured his interlocutors by pointing out that the measure of house arrest with the electronic bracelet is comparable to custody in prison. All without asking, as he could have done, for the replacement of home detention with prison.
The opposition asks for explanations in Parliament
The opposition is not satisfied with Meloni’s words. He accuses the government of unloading its responsibilities on the judiciary and insists that especially Minister Nordio give explanations in Parliament. “The blame game of the government we are witnessing is embarrassing. Nordio will come next week to report”, says Angelo Bonelli (Avs). This was also asked by Più Europa deputy Benedetto Della Vedova, who presented a question and spoke of “an incredible escape that exposed Italy to a fool”. The Democratic Party also calls for the minister’s clarification. “The Milan Court of Appeal denies the government’s line, namely that the flight is the responsibility of another state organ. Minister Nordio explains why he thought it safe to keep a person at risk of flight under house arrest”, urges Lia Quartapelle. “Every day the story of Artem Uss details emerge that shed a disturbing light on the work of the government. It now seems clear that we are faced with an incredible series of errors”, relaunches Debora Serracchiani.
Source-tg24.sky.it