Former Russian energy minister arrested in Switzerland on US fraud charges News
Former Russian energy minister arrested in Switzerland on US fraud charges

[JURIST] Yevgeny Adamov, former minister in charge of the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (FAAE) [backgrounder], was arrested Wednesday in Bern, Switzerland under a US warrant on charges of fraud and money laundering. He has been accused of diverting $9 million dollars of funds provided by the US Energy Department [official website] for improving Russian's nuclear security to various investment projects and US firms he controls. Adamov was fired from his ministry position in 2001 amid speculation that he received kickbacks from the many US firms he owns. The US warrant has been obtained from the federal district containing Monroeville, PA, where Adamov owns Omeka [corporate website], a consulting firm. Adamov, who has been under investigation by the US for the past three years, has refused a quick extradition and the US must now make a formal request to initiate an extradition process that could take many months. AP has more; the Moscow Times has local coverage.