Switzerland extradites Kremlin-linked Russian businessman to US

ZURICH, December 19 (Reuters) – Russian Kremlin-linked businessman Vladislav Klyushin was extradited from Switzerland to the United States on Saturday, the Swiss Justice Ministry said, a move Russia has declared part of a hunt for Russians led by Washington.

U.S. police accompanied him from Zurich on a flight to the United States, where he faces insider trading charges, the ministry said in a statement.

Klyushin was arrested in Switzerland in March, following a request from US authorities, who formally requested his extradition in April. Read more

Russia has expressed deep disappointment with the Swiss decision and the hasty extradition of Klyushin.

“We are compelled to declare that we are facing yet another episode of Washington’s continued hunt for Russian citizens in third countries,” TASS news agency said on Sunday, quoting Embassy spokesman Vladimir Khokhlov. from Russia to Switzerland.

Klyushin is accused of tens of millions of dollars in insider trading with several accomplices, the Swiss ministry said.

The businessman owns M13, a Russian company that offers media monitoring as well as cybersecurity services. Its website indicates that its services are used by the Russian presidential administration and government.

Klyushin’s extradition appeal was dismissed by the Swiss federal court on December 10.

Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz; additional reporting by Alexander Marrow in Moscow; edited by Catherine Evans and Jason Neely

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