Italy gives nod to extradite Russian governor's son Artem Uss to United States

An Italian court has greenlit the extradition of Artem Uss after detaining him in October last year at the behest of the United States. Back then, the US charged him for evading Russian sanctions and being involved in money laundering. Artem Uss is the son of Alexander Uss, the governor of the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk.

On Tuesday, his extradition to the US was approved. Earlier in October, he was arrested at Italy's Milan Malpensa Airport along with five other Russian citizens. He faces a number of allegations, including the purchase of American military technology and its sale to Russian entities that have been sanctioned. He is also accused of smuggling oil from Venezuela for his Chinese and Russian customers, according to RTE. 

Currently under house arrest, Uss has been adamant about claiming he is innocent. In a conversation with TASS, his attorney said that they are planning to appeal the Italian court's decision on the handover. The lawyer stated that the court made the decision on two out of the four charges that his client faces and therefore, they will be filing an appeal within two weeks. 

Russia, US seeking Artem Uss' extradition

While the extradition has been approved by the court, Uss' ultimate fate lies in the hands of the Italian justice minister, who possesses the power to overturn a court's decision. It is important to note that extradition is a lengthy process and requires substantial documentation and other formalities. Uss is also being sought by Russia, which ordered his arrest in October and added him to the federal wanted list for his large-scale money laundering activities.

Since then, Moscow has desperately urged Italy to repatriate him. The 41-year-old has said that he remains open to being extradited to Russia, but not to the United States. Uss, who last visited the country at the age of 14, fears that his extradition to the US could make him vulnerable to discrimination in the American prison. His lawyers believe that if he gets extradited to the US, it would give the country leverage to perform prison swaps and potentially exchange him for Paul Whelan, who was convicted of espionage in Russia.