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Cambodia to deport fugitive Russian tycoon Polonsky as soon as possible: officials

Xinhua, May 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Cambodia will deport Russian ex- billionaire Sergei Polonsky as soon as possible following his violation of the country's immigration law, Gen. Sok Phal, chief of the General Department of Immigration, said Saturday.

Polonsky, who is wanted in his homeland for embezzlement, was arrested by the Cambodian authorities on Friday afternoon on an island off Preah Sihanouk province. He is currently being detained at the General Department of Immigration.

"Polonsky will be expelled in less than a week, or sometimes, he can be deported today," Gen. Sok Phal told reporters.

He said that according to the immigration law, the country has right to deport a foreigner based on any of three mistakes: overstaying his/her visa, working without work permit, and causing danger to social security and order.

"We do not see his passport and work permit. Moreover, he has caused troubles to public security and order," he said. "Just one mistake is enough to deport him, but Polonsky has met all the criteria for the three mistakes."

The arrest came after the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had asked the Ministry of Justice to review repeated requests of extradition from Moscow. It preceded an official visit to Russia by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and other high-ranking officials.

Responding to a reporter's question concerning whether the arrest was made at the request of Russia, Cambodian Interior Minister Sar Kheng said, "Even though there is no request, we still expel him because his visa has expired."

Polonsky, 42, was charged in absentia in July 2012 in a criminal case involving the embezzlement of over 175 million U.S. dollars from the participants in an up-market cooperative residential construction project in central Moscow.

In Cambodia, Polonsky still faces a separate case over allegations that he, along with two Russian friends, locked up the crew of a yacht in the hold and then forced the sailors to jump overboard into Cambodia's sea on New Year's Eve in 2012. He was detained for more than three months for the accusations of violence against Cambodian sailors, but was released on bail in April 2013. Endi