MOSCOW, November 21 (RIA Novosti) – The head of a Russian potash producer jailed by Belarus in a highly politicized business dispute earlier this year will soon be extradited, Russian prosecutors said Thursday.
Uralkali chief executive Vladislav Baumgertner was arrested in absentia by a Moscow court in October, and is wanted in Russia on charges of abuse of office.
Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement that Baumgertner’s extradition had been approved by Belarusian prosecutors, and that the formal handover was due to take place shortly.
Baumgertner was detained in Minsk in August after Uralkali pulled out of a cartel agreement with Belarusian state-owned fertilizer giant Belaruskali, sparking steep falls in potash prices.
The arrest caused a political crisis between Moscow and Minsk, and was discussed at several meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
The announcement of Baumgertner's extradition was widely expected after Uralkali’s chief shareholder, billionaire Suleiman Kerimov, concluded a deal, estimated to be worth up to $4.4 billion, to sell out of the company.
Lukashenko has not hidden his distaste for Baumgertner and Kerimov, who he accuses of causing severe financial damage to both Uralkali and Belaruskali.
The Belarusian president said last month that he was not a bloodthirsty man, and that Baumgertner could be returned to Russia as long as he paid for the losses he inflicted on Belarus, according to media reports.
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