Former Russian atomic energy minister Yevgeny Adamov, who is accused of fraud, must remain in Swiss custody pending a decision on his extradition, the Swiss Federal Criminal Court ruled Thursday.

In the ruling, the court turned down two appeals by Adamov to be set free.

Adamov, who has been in detention since May, is the subject of two extradition requests -- one from the United States and the other from Russia.

The court in Bellinzona also ruled that there was no evidence to suggest that the US proceedings had been initiated for political reasons.

Regarding the Russian extradition request, the court's judges found that Adamov had no immunity on Swiss territory.

It is now up to the Federal Court in Lausanne, which is Switzerland's supreme court, to make a basic ruling on the two extradition demands.

Adamov was arrested in Bern, capital of Switzerland, on May 2 on a US warrant while on a visit to answer questions in an unrelated court case about the financial activities of his daughter, a Swiss resident.

He was Russia's atomic energy minister from 1998 to 2001, when a parliamentary commission accused him of corruption.

He is charged by the United States with embezzling 9 million US dollars, which had been destined for nuclear-safety upgrades in Russia, and transferring the money to various US companies under his control.

Source: Xinhua