ROME, June 8. /TASS/. The Supreme Court of Cassation of Italy confirmed the sentence of the Appellate Court regarding extradition of Alexander Korshunov, business development director of Russia’s United Engine Corporation (UEC), to the US, lawyer Domenico Caiazza told journalists Monday.

"The Court of Cassation confirmed extradition to the US. We expect publication of the protocol," the lawyer said. "After that, the Justice Minister [of Italy] must decide where [Korshunov] will be extradited — to the US or to Russia," the lawyer said, adding that the hearing took place on May 21.

Korshunov was arrested on August 30 in the airport of Naples, over an international order, issued by the US. The US authorities accuse him of conspiracy aiming to steal commercial secrets from a US aviation company. Simultaneously, Russian authorities also demand extradition of Korshunov, accusing him of fraud and theft. Korshunov, who is currently in Italy under house arrest, agreed to be extradited to Russia. In this case, the Minister of Justice is to take the final decision on the extradition.

The Korshunov case

The Korshunov case revolves around the PD-14 plane engine, developed for the MC-21-300 plane in a cooperation of the UEC companies, utilizing a number of newest technologies and materials, including the composite ones. The first mass-produced PD-14 engine is expected in 2020-2021.

Besides Korshunov, an Italian national named Maurizio Paolo Bianchi is a defendant in the case. According to the US authorities, he previously held a senior office in a GE Aviation subsidiary and supervised business in China, Russia and Asia, before joining Italy’s Aernova, which provided consultations to Russia.

Commenting on apprehensions of Russian nationals in third countries on US requests, President Vladimir Putin called it "very bad practice that is probably connected to competition."

According to the Italian lawyers, US accuses foreign nationals of alleged crimes they conduct in third countries — France and Italy — where they are not considered to be crimes, and where no criminal prosecution has been initiated against them, creating a "jurisdiction defect."