Russian criminal boss' successor banned from entering Russia - source
MOSCOW. Nov 8 (Interfax) - Russian detectives, jointly with Interpol representatives, have notified a Russian career criminal currently under house arrest in Italy, Merab Jangveladze (aka Merab Sukhumski), that he is banned from entering the Russian Federation, an informed source told Interfax on Tuesday.
"Today, representatives from the main criminal investigation directorate of the Russian Interior Ministry, Interpol and Italian police handed Jangveladze in the town of Bari (Italy) a Russian Interior Ministry resolution about him being unwelcome in Russia for life," the source said.
Under the document, any attempt by Jangveladze to enter Russia will be seen as a violation of Article 322 of the Russian Criminal Code (illegal border crossing) "and this was explained to him," the source said.
The notification took place at the criminal's home address where he was placed under house arrest after Kazakh law enforcement agencies requested his extradition, the source said.
Following the deaths of criminal bosses Aslan Usoyan (aka Grandpa Khasan) and Sergei Ivankov (aka Yaponchik) and the arrest of Zakhary Kalashov (aka Shakro Molodoi) Jangveladze "effectively became leader of the hierarchical ladder in the Russian criminal world," the source said.
"Merab's lawyers insisted that he cannot be extradited by Italy to Kazakhstan since he is a Russian citizen, but Russian Interior Ministry operatives established that he had received the passport illegally. This became reason for issuing the resolution banning his presence in Russia," the source said.
Article 322 of the Russian Criminal Code imposes a penalty of up to six years of imprisonment.
