MOSCOW, November 1 (RIA Novosti) — Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom does not exclude political reasons for the arrest of Vadim Mikerin, the head of the TENAM Corp, the US subsidiary of the Russia's state-owned exporter of nuclear materials Techsnabexport, Rosatom's spokesperson told RIA Novosti Saturday.
"Taking into account the published documents about the agents trying to persuade Vadim Mikerin to cooperate against Russia in exchange for the freedom, it suggests an idea of a political nature of the prosecution," Rosatom's representative said.
On Friday, it was reported that a Russian national Vadim Mikerin, the head of the TENAM Corp, the US subsidiary of the Russia's state-owned exporter of nuclear materials Techsnabexport, was arrested in the United States on allegations of participating in a kickback scheme in exchange for granting uranium supply contracts to US citizens.
Mikerin has reportedly received $1.7 million in bribes for granting three US citizens over $33 million in noncompetitive contracts with Techsnabexport. If found guilty, Mikerin faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
JSC Techsnabexport, also known by its brand name of TENEX, exports enriched uranium product and uranium conversion to a number of key markets, including the United States, Mexico, China, South Africa, Japan and several European states.
