NEW YORK, September 9 (RIA Novosti, Andrei Loshchilin) - The U.S. federal district court of Manhattan said the prosecution must provide strong evidence for the arrest of Vladimir Kuznetsov within 30 days, a Russian member of the UN General Assembly's budget committee, a spokesperson for the Russian mission to the UN said Friday.
According to Maria Zakharova, Kuznetsov was indicted by the court for setting up an offshore company in 2000 to launder money allegedly received from an unidentified UN procurement official.
The prosecution has charged the official with taking bribes from firms seeking UN contracts.
The next hearing in the Kuznetsov case is scheduled for November 9, Zakharova said, adding that Kuznetsov feels well and has contacted his relatives through the Russian consulate in New York.
"We will be keeping an eye on the situation surrounding Kuznetsov's arrest," she said.
