Monaco court clears Adamov of fraud

A court in Monaco has cleared Russia's former nuclear energy minister, Yevgeny Adamov, of money laundering charges, RIA Novosti reported. His co-defendant Mark Kaushansky and two Russian nationals were also cleared. Adamov - who served as nuclear energy minister from 1998 to 2001 - had been charged with leading an organized criminal group that embezzled over 3 billion roubles ($100 million) from the Russian budget, as well as other state enterprises and organizations. Adamov denied the charges. He was detained in Berne, Switzerland, in May 2005 at the request of the USA, where he was accused of embezzling $9 million issued to Russia for nuclear safety projects. He was extradited to Moscow in early 2006 at Russia's request. In early 2008, a Moscow court found Adamov guilty of fraud and abuse of authority and sentenced him to five-and-a-half years in prison. However, after just two months, he was released on a suspended sentence. Although cleared in Monaco, charges against Adamov are still pending in the USA.