Fearful Russian official flees to US

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

A wealthy Russian lawmaker has fled with his family to the United States, where he says he fears assassination over accusations that some of Russia’s richest and most influential people swindled him in a real-estate deal. Back home, he’s been charged with financial crimes.

Ashot Egiazaryan, 45, says he is considering seeking asylum in the U.S. But after suing a Russian billionaire and several former business partners — including a close friend of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s and Moscow’s former mayor — he said he doesn’t feel safe even in this country.

“I do think it’s possible than an assassination attempt can be mounted against me here,” he said flanked by lawyers in a conference room a few blocks the White House. The interview with The Associated Press was his first with Western media and came a few weeks after one of his relatives was gunned down in the Russian city of Astrakhan on Dec. 7, an attack he claims is connected with his lawsuit.

The struggle over the Moskva Hotel, a prime piece of Moscow real estate, is being waged in a civil court in Cyprus, the London Court of International Arbitration, on the Web and on Capitol Hill. It provides a rare insider’s view of the often ruthless world of money, power and politics in Russia, where wealth and connections can sometimes trump property rights and the rule of law.

The case could become a headache for the Obama administration. The U.S. is counting on Moscow’s support in everything from the fight against extremists in Afghanistan to efforts to derail the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea.