Russian real-estate mogul Sergei Polonsnky's links to Russia and Cambodia fell into a state of turmoil after both countries launched criminal cases against him. Polonsky was detained in Cambodia in November 2013 upon the request of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, which seeks the businessman’s extradition. Polonsky was charged in absentia in July 2013 as part of a criminal case involving the embezzlement of over $176 million from the participants in a residential construction project in central Moscow. In addition, Polonsky still faces kidnapping charges in Cambodia relating to an incident on board a boat carrying a group of Russians celebrating New Year. Initially at least, prosecutors maintained that Polonsky and others on-board the ship threatened the crew with knives, locked them in a hold, and then forced them to jump overboard. The men denied the charges, stating that they had an argument with the Cambodians over the amount of the New Year fireworks used. Polonsky initially made waves after having been punched in the face on national television by billionaire Alexander Lebedev, after Polonsky accused the latter of spreading rumors about a supposed crack in the Moscow City skyscraper that his firm was building.