Gusinsky heading for Israel, lawyer says

Russian media magnate Mr Vladimir Gusinsky has left Spain and planned to arrive in Israel today after a Russian extradition request…

Russian media magnate Mr Vladimir Gusinsky has left Spain and planned to arrive in Israel today after a Russian extradition request was rejected by Spain's High Court last week, Mr Gusinsky's lawyer said.

Mr Gusinsky travelled to Gibraltar last night where he has residency and he was due to fly on to Israel from there today, Spanish lawyer Domingo Plazas told reporters.

Russian prosecutors today accused Mr Gusinsky of laundering 100 million and said they wanted a new international arrest warrant for him, despite last week's extradition defeat.

Plazas said Spanish police today searched Mr Gusinsky's villa in the resort of Sotogrande which is near the tiny British colony of Gibraltar on the southern tip of Spain. But Mr Gusinsky had entered Gibraltar on last night, the lawyer said.

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"It could be that there is a new arrest warrant out there from Russia," he said. "I have received nothing."

Mr Gusinsky says the charges of fraud and now money-laundering are politically motivated after his Media-Most media group criticised the Kremlin.