Russia Makes Second Request to Cambodia for Polonsky Extradition

Russia’s Ministry of Interior on Wednesday said it has prepared a new extradition request for Russia’s fugitive former billionaire Sergei Polonsky, who now lives in Phnom Penh.

Russia based the new extradition request on mounting charges against the former Moscow real estate developer.

Earlier this year, a Cambodian court rejected a previous extradition request from Russia.

In March, Mr. Polonsky was charged in absentia with embezzling more than $4.1 million from participants in a residential development project in Moscow known as the Rublyovskaya Riviera.

Those charges came eight months after Mr. Polonsky was charged in absentia with embezzling roughly $176 million from investors in a separate unfinished residential construction project in Moscow.

“In connection with the change in volume in the number of charges against Sergei Polonsky, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Investigation Department prepared a new request for the extradition of the accused in Russia,” says a release posted on the Interior Ministry’s website.

The statement says the relevant extradition documents were sent to the general prosecutor in Russia.

Russia’s first attempt to extradite Mr. Polonsky was thrown out by the Court of Appeal in January.

At the time, court officials said Mr. Polonsky must first face charges for his role in allegedly assaulting six Cambodian boatmen off the coast of Sihanoukville in December 2012.

But, earlier this month, the Supreme Court heard an appeal against the lower court’s decision not to extradite Mr. Polonsky, upon the request of the general prosecutor, said Hean Rith, a prosecutor at the Court of Appeal.

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down a verdict at the end of April.

Mr. Rith said Wednesday he was not aware of Russia’s second request for extradition. “I did not receive a letter from Russia yet,” he said.

A spokesman for Mr. Polonsky said that Mr. Polonsky would respond to Russia’s request on Thursday.

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