The 63-year-old man, who is a Russian citizen but now lives in Sweden, is accused of having been part of a scheme with fake invoices during his time in Russia. The man is accused of having made large transfers of money out of the country, which is illegal.
In March 2020, Russia’s prosecutor’s office requested that Sweden extradite the man, who had moved here as an accompanying spouse to his wife.
– My client denies any involvement. He believes that the whole thing is a manifestation of corruption in the preliminary investigation process. Witnesses are threatened with giving information about someone and there are also bribes, that you charge a fee to release potentially suspects and direct the light at someone else, says the man’s public defender, lawyer Anders Karlsson.
But the decision of the Supreme Court is not about whether the man is guilty of the crime or not.
The crime for which the 63-year-old is requested to be extradited – illegal export of currency – has no equivalent in Swedish law. The Supreme Court also does not consider that the accusations against the man correspond to money laundering, which is punishable in Sweden. It has therefore been decided that there are “obstacles to extradition” of the man.
The decision not to extradite the man to Russia came at the end of last week.
– He reacted with relief, Anders Karlsson says about his client.
How has this lawsuit affected him?
– It is clear that this has been an incredible stress factor, especially since he considers himself innocently designated. It has been a concern to have this hanging over me.
Have you received any pressure from Russia, in addition to the extradition request?
– No, there has been no contact.
Can these accusations be based on anything political?
– No, he has never stated that himself and there is nothing to suggest.