Earlier on Thursday, a US court sentenced Russian businessman Vladislav Klyushin to nine years in prison on charges of security fraud and wire fraud.
“We regard the recent decision of the district court in Boston to sentence Russian citizen Vladislav Klyushin ….to 9 years in prison and multimillion-dollar compensation as politically motivated,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
They believe that “the charges brought against him are completely far-fetched and fabricated.”
The Foreign Ministry added that “during the process, the evidence base was reduced exclusively to unfounded allegations.”
"Our compatriot, extradited to the United States from supposedly "neutral" Switzerland, was in fact convicted only for being a Russian citizen. He became another victim of the fanatical Russophobia that now reigns in the power structures overseas," the representative added.
"The verdict against Klyushin, the father of five children, who refused to cooperate with the investigation and was sentenced to a long prison term, is yet another example of the bias and punitive orientation of the American justice system, which unquestioningly carries out overt political orders," the Foreign Ministry said.
“We will continue to demand from the US authorities an end to the legal arbitrariness against Russian citizens,” they added.
“Our embassy in Washington will provide Klyushin with the necessary assistance in the fight for his rights and legitimate interests,” the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.