Italy’s rightwing government is blaming the country’s courts for the embarrassing escape from house arrest of a Russian businessman wanted in the US for sanctions evasion.

In a parliamentary debate on Thursday, Carlo Nordio, the justice minister, criticised Milan judges for their favourable treatment of Artem Uss, 40, who had been cleared to be extradited to the US, where he has been charged with crimes including sanctions evasion and money-laundering.

Uss’s escape from a luxury apartment on the outskirts of Milan has been a big embarrassment for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is an ardent supporter of Ukraine’s struggle against Russia’s invasion, and eager to show that her government is a reliable ally to the US and Nato.

“When something like this happens, there can be two explanations — incompetence or malice,” said Stefano Stefanini, Italy’s former ambassador to Nato. “All in all, in a matter like this, incompetence is better.”

US authorities claim the fugitive — whose father is on the board of Russian state oil champion Rosneft, and also on the US sanctions list — was co-owner of a trading company that helped Russian entities under sanctions to obtain sensitive military technologies.

People familiar with the matter say the younger Uss could potentially have been exchanged with US nationals in Russian custody.

Uss broke his electronic tag and escaped just a day after Milan courts approved his extradition to the US. Two weeks later, he re-emerged in Russia where he expressed gratitude for “strong and reliable people [who] were by my side”.

In his hour-long testimony, Nordio blamed Milan’s appeals court for allowing Uss to leave jail and return to a luxury apartment with an electronic tag six weeks after he was captured at a Milan airport in October.

“The judicial authorities had been inundated by observations concerning the dangers and the risk of escape of this gentleman,” Nordio said.

After the court’s November ruling that allowed Uss to be held in house arrest at his Milan apartment, the US Department of Justice “exhorted” Rome to act urgently to return Uss to jail, given his high flight risk, Nordio said.

US authorities, the minister said, made clear that they were “appalled” by the decision and urged Italian authorities to file an appeal with the country’s Supreme Court.

The DoJ declined to comment beyond its indictment charging Uss and four other Russian nationals. The National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nordio told parliament his ministry had no power to “interfere, appeal or ask for stricter measures”, or override the lower court ruling given the “principle of autonomy and independence of the magistrates”.

Since the escape, however, the minister has imposed disciplinary action against several judges in connection with their handling of the case.

Italy’s legal community has attacked Nordio for his handling of the matter, arguing that prosecutors should have appealed against the court ruling rather than the ministry punishing the judges.

In a public statement, the National Association of Magistrates accused Nordio himself of undermining the “autonomy and independence” of judges by disciplining them.

“What happened is quite serious,” Meloni said last weekend in her only public remarks on the case. “For sure, there are some anomalies.”

She questioned the court’s decision to permit Uss to remain in house arrest even after approving his extradition. “Obviously in this case the risk of escape is more likely,” she said. “In short, we need clarity on the matter.” 

Opposition lawmakers said the fiasco had severely damaged Italy’s global standing.

“Italy’s international credibility and authority has been heavily compromised,” Valentina D’Orso, a member of the populist Five Star Movement, said. “The damage to Italy’s position . . . is beyond calculation.”

Foreign minister Antonio Tajani rejected the criticism, telling the Senate on Thursday that US-Italian relations will not be affected by the debacle.

“The relationship with the United States is and will continue to be solid and loyal,” he said, adding that Rome is moving to freeze Uss’ Italian assets.

Stefanini said Uss’s escape was part of “a general picture of failure in many countries and in different ways of implementing sanctions on Russia, especially on individuals”.

He added the court’s decision in this case was baffling.

“You are talking about a Russian oligarch,” Stefanini said. “It is difficult to understand how this particular person could be given house arrest . . . in circumstances that could lead any sensible person to fear that he might fly.”

Additional reporting by Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Milan, Max Seddon in Riga and Felicia Schwartz and Stefania Palma in Washington