GENEVA, July 19 (RIA Novosti, Yekaterina Andrianova) - The Swiss federal court has found the arrest of Russia's former Nuclear Energy Minister Yevgeny Adamov legitimate, a spokeswoman for the Swiss federal justice department said Tuesday.
The federal court in Lausanne, a higher court, upheld the appeal by the federal justice department, which had sanctioned the ex-minister's arrest on May 2 in Bern at the request of the U.S. Justice Department.
Igor Petrov, press-attache of the Russian embassy in Bern, confirmed that Russian diplomats had received a resolution from the federal court.
In early June, the Swiss federal criminal court in Bellinzona found the ex-minister's arrest at the United States' request illegal and ordered his release.
But the Federal Justice Department filed an appeal to the federal court in Lausanne to overrule the decision.
The federal court's decision is final and is not subject to appeal. This means that Adamov will stay in a Swiss prison until the Federal Justice Department decides on his extradition.
The judges will have to decide whether Adamov will be extradited to the United States or Russia.
The U.S. sent a formal request for Adamov's extradition on June 24. U.S. authorities are accusing Adamov and his business partner, U.S. citizen Mark Kaushansky, of embezzling $9 million allotted by Washington for security at Russia's nuclear facilities.
Russia sent an extradition request on May 17 after the Moscow Basmanny Court issued a warrant for his arrest. The Russian General Prosecutor's Office has charged Adamov with fraud and office abuse.
Adamov, who was Russia's atomic energy minister from 1998-2001, rejected a simplified extradition to the United States and Russia. He is denying any wrongdoing and intends to return to Russia as a free man.
