MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) -The lawyers of a Russian national Roman Seleznev announced that a possible investigation error has been made, as the prosecution failed to prove that the detained person is the one who was supposed to be taken into custody.
According to Seleznev’s defense, the name and surname Roman Seleznev are very widespread in Russia and the absence of a patronymic in the documents prevents prosecutors from indubitably identifying the detainee.
Russian national Roman Seleznev, 30, was accused by the United States of cyber-fraud and stealing credit card and personal information of US citizens.
Ely Goldin, Seleznev’s lawyer, provided the court with a 34-page printout of the profiles of 162 individuals named Roman Seleznev on Odnoklassniki, Russia’s second largest social network.
In addition to that, the defense presented the testimony of the professional interpreter, who gave a detailed explanation of the concept of a Russian patronymic name and stated that the use of only first and last name in official documents is incorrect.
Seleznev was detained on July 5 at an airport in the Maldives and flown to the US island of Guam.
Seleznev’s defense asked for his release, saying that the Russian citizen was illegally detained outside US jurisdiction.
The prosecution disagreed, saying Seleznev was arrested in Guam, but did not explain how he got there from the Maldives.
Seleznev faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of bank fraud, while the other charges also carry significant sentences.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called the incident an unfriendly move by the United States and a de facto kidnapping, while the government of the Maldives promised to review the legal framework leading up to Seleznev’s arrest.
