Estonian businessman arrested in Moscow considers himself FSB hostage
Estonian businessman Raivo Susi, who was arrested by the Russian authorities at Sheremetyevo airport in February, sees himself as a hostage of Russia’s security agency FSB.
One possible explanation why the FSB had Susi arrested was so they could accuse him of spying, turn him into a hostage, and have him exchanged for one of their own men currently under arrest in Estonia, daily Postimees reported on Wednesday.
In a letter sent to Postimees, Susi himself suggested that he believed just that, and that he was used as currency for a case like that of Eston Kohver, an officer of the Estonian Security Service that was kidnapped and dragged to Russia to be exchanged later for Aleksei Dressen, a convicted traitor that otherwise would have had to sit out a 16-year prison sentence.
Neither Susi nor his lawyer openly mentioned this possible reason for his arrest, but both pointed to the Eston Kohver case.
Susi was detained in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport on Feb. 11. After the detention he was taken to Lubyanka prison, from where he was moved to Lefortovo prison to remain in custody for two months. According to his lawyer, he has been charged with espionage on the basis of Article 276 of the Penal Code of the Russian Federation. The event connected with the charges took place in 2004-2007
Susi categorically rejects the accusations and said he considered himself hostage of a political wrangle between Estonia and Russia.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn