Uzbekistan: Former Presidential Insider Detained in Moscow

The former director of one of Uzbekistan's largest industrial enterprises has been detained in Moscow on suspicion of financial wrongdoing.

Vadim Kucherov, who is also a former member of Uzbekistan's upper house of parliament, was taken into custody on May 19 at the request of the Uzbek authorities. He is suspected of embezzlement and abuse of authority, the Russian daily newspaper Kommersant reported on May 20.

"The detention of the individual under an international warrant is a technical issue. We get information; we perform an order of detention and inform the initiator of the search. The fate of the detainee is decided by a Russian court," a spokesperson for Moscow's Criminal Investigation Department told the newspaper.

Kucherov holds a Russian passport, a fact that blocks his extradition to Uzbekistan. Tashkent is currently in the midst of a 48-hour window of opportunity to relay evidence to Moscow, where Kucherov would be tried. However, even if Uzbek authorities supply the needed documentation, Russian prosecutors may opt not to move forward with the case, according to Russian press reports.

Kucherov ran the Chkalov Aircraft Production Plant in Tashkent from 1995 to 2006. He was sacked by President Islam Karimov and replaced by a former prime minister and Karimov ally, Utkir Sultanov.