The Appellate Council of Thessaloniki approved the extradition of a Russian national, 49, who is charged with breach of trust against a company he worked in as director, and suspected of embezzling 50 million rubles.
The man was arrested in March when planning to visit the Mt Athos monastic community, with authorities finding a and authorities found an international arrest warrant issued against him.
In his testimony before the Appellate Council he denied the charge, stressing that he himself was the one to reveal the large-scale embezzlement committed by the previous directors of the company. He said he did not want to be extradited to Russia and expressed concerns that he would not receive a fair trial in his homeland.
“I worked hard and by the law in Russia. I transferred my money to Greece up to 2022. I came here because I had a visa, and I bought a car on Corfu. I have a residence permit and have been living in Greece permanently during the last year,” he said, among others.