MOSCOW, November 11 (RIA Novosti) – Fugitive businessman Sergei Polonsky, who is wanted in Russia on embezzlement charges, has reportedly been arrested by authorities in Cambodia after hiding in the jungle, his lawyer said Monday.
Lawyer Alexander Karabanov said the report of Polonsky’s arrest came from a TV journalist covering events in Cambodia.
“I am waiting for confirmation from the authorities or Polonsky himself,” Karabanov said.
Earlier Monday, the lawyer said his client was “hiding in the jungle” after receiving a warning from his own police sources that an operation to arrest him involving dozens of policemen had been launched.
The overnight search operation for Polonsky was launched after the Russian tycoon posted a video on Facebook purportedly showing a senior Cambodian police officer demanding $1 million for helping him to avoid extradition to Russia, Karabanov said.
Last week, Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office said it had sent an official extradition request to Cambodia, where Polonsky had been living on his own island. Cambodia granted him citizenship in September after judges there cleared him of liability in an alleged attack on several locals.
Once one of Russia’s richest men, Polonsky has been charged in absentia in Russia with involvement in an alleged 5.7 billion ruble ($175 million) embezzlement scheme that targeted investors in an upscale residential project in Moscow. An international warrant has been issued for his arrest.
His lawyer said last week that Polonsky had sent a statement to Russian prosecutors and investigators naming the individuals he believes committed the embezzlement.
Russia’s Interior Ministry has said that more than 80 participants in the Kutuzovskaya Milya development project lost money directly because of Polonsky’s actions.
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