WARSAW, June 6 - RAPSI. The Nowy Sacz district court in Poland has extended until October 9 the arrest of former Moscow regional deputy prosecutor Alexander Ignatenko, who is awaiting the decision regarding his extradition to Russia, court spokesman Bogdan Kijak told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

In May, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights sent a letter to the Justice Ministry, which is considering Ignatenko's case, stating that the affair might be politically motivated. The foundation advised the ministry to require the Russian Investigative Committee to commit to respect Ignatenko's rights if he is extradited to Russia.

In 2011, Ignatenko was named a suspect in the "underground casinos case". He was arrested on January 1 2012 at the Zakopane ski resort. In February, the court ruled that his extradition was permissible and extended his custody until June 9. An appellate court upheld the judgment in March. Justice Minister Jaroslaw Gowin is now due to take the final decision regarding Ignatenko's extradition.

The high-profile illegal casino scandal in Moscow Region came to light in 2011 and caused a major public uproar. Businessman Ivan Nazarov allegedly operated illegal casinos in 15 towns across the region. According to law enforcement authorities, several high-ranking officials from the prosecutor's offices and the federal Interior Ministry were involved in the operation, which generated between $5 million and $10 million in monthly revenue.