Clear up 'anomalies' in Uss case says Meloni

(ANSA) - ROME, APR 15 - Premier Giorgia Meloni said Saturday the government would clear up "anomalies" in the case of Artem Uss, a 40-year-old Russian businessman who escaped house arrest near Milan last month to dodge US extradition for alleged arms smuggling.
    Speaking on a trip to Ethiopia, Meloni said she backed Justice Minister Carlo Nordio's decision to send in inspectors to see why Uss, the son of a Siberian governor close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been moved from pretrial custody in prison to house arrest, where he broke his electronic ankle tag and escaped, reportedly with the help of Russian intelligence operatives, on March 22.
    "The fact is certainly quite serious, I will speak with minister Nordio when I get back to understand how things went, there are certainly anomalies," Meloni told a press conference after her trip to Ethiopia.
    "I believe the main anomaly is the appeals court's decision to keep him under house arrest for questionable reasons and to maintain the decision even after there had been a ruling (in favour of) his extradition: so I think the minister was right to start a disciplinary action and therefore we'll have to clear things up".
    Italy's justice ministry had the power to request that Uss remain in prison while awaiting extradition to the United States, the Milan court of appeal has said in a report on the case, sources said Friday.
    Uss fled Italy To Russia after learning of the approval of his extradition to the US, where he was facing up to 30 years in prison on charges of sanctions evasion and money laundering.
    Uss, who was wanted in the US for allegedly smuggling military technology, is now in Russia, the Ria Novosti news agency reported last week.
    Justice Minister Nordio has requested clarification on the handling of the case.
    The Milan court of appeal ruled that Uss could go from jail to house arrest on November 25 and that order was executed on December 2, with the attachment of an electronic ankle tag.
    In the report, the court said prosecutors could have challenged the decision and that the ministry could also have requested that Uss be jailed at any moment. (ANSA).