Russian court rejects Zamolskis' request to serve his sentence in Lithuania

VILNIUS - A Russian court has rejected a request by Romas Zamolskis, one of the most notorious Lithuanian criminals, to service his prison sentence in Lithuania, the daily Lietuvos Rytas reported on Tuesday.

The court in Yekaterinburg turned down Zamolskis' request to deport him to his homeland, saying that the Lithuanian will remain in jail in Russia until he compensates Alexander Kasyanov and his wife for damages. Zamolskis and his accomplices Valery Povarov and Mikhail Klok tried to blow up the local businessman and his wife on July 16, 2004.

Zamolskis says that he does not have the money to compensate Kasyanov since he is not allowed to work in prison.

Zamolskis was detained in Russia 2014. The man fled Lithuania in 2001 following a hostage rescue operation during which his accomplice Virginijus Savickis was shot dead by the police anti-terrorist operations unit ARAS.

The Russian media reported in June 2016 that the Yekaterinburg court had sentenced Zamolskis to 16 years in prison for possessing an illegal weapon, thefts, robberies and an attempted murder. Zamolskis and his two accomplices were convicted of crimes committed in the Sverdlovsk region between 2003 and 2006.