Moscow requests potash exec's extradition from Belarus
RFE/RL based on reporting by Interfax, and ITAR-TASS 6 November 2013, 12:31
Russia's prosecutor-general has requested the extradition of the general director of the Russian potash producer Uralkali from Belarus.
The Prosecutor-General's Office said on November 5 that the request for Vladislav Baumgertner's extradition was sent in October. Earlier in the day, the Russian Investigative Committee confirmed it had issued an arrest warrant for Baumgertner in October on charges of abuse of authority.
Baumgertner, a Russian citizen, is under house arrest in Minsk on charges of embezzlement. He was arrested in August.
In July, Uralkali pulled out of a joint venture with a Belarusian potash firm, causing a row between Russia and Belarus.
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has said Baumgertner can be extradited to Russia only if Minsk is reimbursed for the damage inflicted on the Belarusian economy by Baumgertner's "illegal activities." He estimated those damages at $100 million.
