MOSCOW, July 9 (RIA Novosti) - State Duma deputy from the Liberal Democratic Party, Valery Seleznev, has said his son Roman, accused in the US of fraud and theft of information, still has no access to the Russian consul.
"I cannot contact my son. We hope the Russian Foreign Ministry will be able to seek clarification and, accordingly, diplomatic and consular access to Roman," Seleznev told RIA Novosti.
"At the moment the situation is unclear, because [US department of state spokesperson] Ms. [Jen] Psaki gave a press conference on the matter yesterday and said that Guam is under the jurisdiction of the US, that she sees no problem and there was no kidnapping, and access can be granted at any time. To put it mildly, she is lying,” the lawmaker said.
Seleznev said authorities in the Maldives, where the younger Seleznev was detained, should have informed the Russian diplomatic mission about the situation and allowed a lawyer to counsel Roman.
Roman Seleznev, 30, has been charged with fraud and information theft and may face up to 30 years in prison in the United States.
Seleznev was detained in the Maldives on Tuesday and taken to the US island of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.
US authorities, including the Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, said in connection with Seleznev’s arrest that they will continue to seek the arrest of criminal suspects in the US, wherever these suspects are currently located.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called Seleznev’s detention on the territory of a third country and his consequent extradition to the United States “an unfriendly step."
