29 December 2015, 07:24 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Col. Yuri Efremov, a former official with the Russian Interior Ministry, was seized by Finnish border guards after Interpol issued an arrest warrant. His wife asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to interfere.
"The diplomatic service did its utmost," Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding there was no need to ask the president for help. "We paid attention to this request, of course," he added.
No charges were brought against the former police official, but the Russian Foreign Ministry said it feared that Efremov could be extradited to the United States. He was reportedly released earlier today.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Washington of arresting Russian nationals in third countries in what it says is a violation of the 1999 Treaty on the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters between the two countries.
