Two accomplices who helped Artem Uss escape arrested

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 5 - Two of the five accomplices who allegedly helped Russian businessman Artem Uss flee from house arrest in Italy in March were arrested on Tuesday, sources said.
    One of them, Boris Jovancic, was detained in Desenzano, near Brescia, while another was caught in Croatia.
    A Volvo V60 that was among the cars used to take Uss out of Italy was registered in Jovancic's name.
    Uss, the 40-year-old son of a Siberian governor and oil magnate close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, broke his ankle tag while under house arrest in Basiglio, near Milan, and escaped back to Russia after a Milan court had approved his extradition to the US, where he is wanted on numerous charges.
    He is said to have exploited an international network of contacts, including a Serbian criminal gang, in order to get away.
    Uss had been arrested in Italy at the request of the United States on October 17, 2022, and transferred to prison before a three-judge panel of the Milan court approved his request to be moved to house arrest.
    The US embassy in Rome reportedly asked the Italian authorities to reconsider because of the risk of escape, but the justice ministry replied that the jurisdiction rested with the courts.
    The affair caused friction between the ministry and the judiciary and prompted Premier Giorgia Meloni to say the government would clear up "anomalies".
    An investigation into the escape is underway. (ANSA).