Filenews 3 Januar 2023 - by Fanis Makridis
The three businessmen, who reside permanently in Cyprus and are wanted by the Russian authorities for a serious tax evasion case, enjoy full immunity in Cyprus.
Roman Semiokin, Dmitry Kazorin and Sergei Karsov, according to a report by "F" last Saturday, are alleged to be the beneficiaries of the betting company 1XBet and are being checked to avoid paying tax on revenues in the order of €800 millions (63 billion roubles). These are the net profits that the company had over a five-year period.
The immunity we are talking about stems from their naturalisation and in particular the acquisition of a European passport, thanks to the Cyprus Investment Programme.
According to secure information of "F", there is indeed a notification via Interpol of the arrest and extradition of the persons in question to the Russian Federation. However, based on the same sources of information, the authorities of our island are not willing to extradite them since they are considered Cypriots and at the same time the bear country has as a policy not to extradite its own nationals to other states.
It should be noted that the Republic of Cyprus has an agreement for legal aid with the Russian authorities (it was pre-signed during the Soviet Union), but not a specific interstate agreement for the extradition of fugitives, as for example with China. So the possibility of their issuance does not seem like a possible scenario under these circumstances.
It should be noted that the fact that the Russian authorities do not extradite their nationals to third countries for any crime, was also highlighted in the case of poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in England in 2018. The British had identified a Russian suspect for the use of the chemical element (polonium) with which it was believed that the Skripals were poisoned. However, there was scepticism to request their extradition to old Albion, because of this policy on the part of Russia.
The whole issue with the three "Cypriot" businessmen and the company has caused a sensation in Italy, where he was highlighted by journalist Lorenzo Ventemiale, on the show Report that has been aired for 25 years on state television (RAI3). The show's host, Siegfrido Ranuchi, referred with critical comments to the Italian authorities and the fact that they have opened the doors to the company 1XBet. This business entity through labyrinthine paths has been interconnected with Cyprus. Italian journalists focus, in particular, on the company Klafkaniro LTD, which manages a website of 1XBet. The businessmen, in their statements from Limassol, denied any connection with the case.
