Russia wants to have Antonio Valdes-Garcia (head of a firm affiliated with Yukos) extradited from Spain over a period of investigation in exchange for criminal don Tariel Oniani (Taro). 

 

According to the reports, Russia has requested Spain to hand Valdes-Garcia over for “a time being”. He will be interrogated and presented with the ruling of Moscow's Basmanny District Court. The court has been examining the case of $ 13 billion embezzlement and $ 8.5 billion money laundering, Valdes-Garcia being one of the accused.

Let us remind the reader, that after having fled from the police in Moscow, Valdes-Garcia located himself in Madrid from where he accused Russian authorities in torture. In 2009 Spain refused to extradite Valdes-Garcia for his layers’ fear of possible physical violence. But when Spain got criminal boss Tariel Oniani “for investigative activities”, the official position in Valdes-Garcia case has changed. Oniani was found guilty of abduction and extortion and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Russian intelligence service hope, Oniani will tell Spanish investigators about Boris Berezovsky and former FSB-officer and fugitive Aleksandr Litvinenko, poisoned in London.

Ex-lawyer of the Spaniard Roman Karpinsky has confirmed that the trial over a Yukos top-manager is continuing. Although the advocate is unaware of a new attempt to extradite his former сlient. Spanish authorities has refused to give any comments. We have been unable to get a commentary from Russia's Prosecutor General's Offices about a new extradition request neither.