US lawyer imprisoned in Belarus freed after pardon
Zeltser Zeltser
In November  Zeltser was placed in a prison hospital after arriving at a penal colony in eastern Belarus  where he was denied medicine  according to lawyers.
On leaving the prison clinic in the eastern town of Mogilyov  ZeltserZeltser said  "I am glad about my freedom."
Zeltser  slightly limping  was met by U.S. officials and entered a car with them to head for the U.S. Embassy in Minsk.
Blaus an its authoritarian leader are on a drive to court better political and economic ties with the West  and Washington had said Zeltser's release would help the process.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters earlier that Washington welcomed news that Zeltser would be released.
He said Zeltser's imprisonment was "a major obstacle in our bilateral relations. We still have other concerns  of course  with some of the actions of the Belarusian government. So we're very happy that this one obstacle has been removed  and we'll review our policy as necessary."
The Russian-born Zeltser is a high-profile lawyer who headed the non-governmental American Russian Law Institute in New York. He once sued the Bank of New York for $2 billion on behalf of investors who had lost their deposits.
Zeltser is a renowned expert on organized crime and money laundering  particularly in former Soviet republics.
His clients have included Pavel Borodin  a former Kremlin aide who was accused of money laundering by a Swiss court  and Badri Patarkatsishvili  the late Georgian billionaire who was a bitter opponent of Georgia's current administration.
Belarusian authorities said that fake documents Zeltser was carrying were tied to Patarkatsishvili's business interests.
Zeltser's brother  Mark  has said that the Zeltser had flown to Minsk to check on the status of several of Patarkatsishvili's assets. Some bsrvrsinBears ugesedtht else'sares ayhae ee arrange by those trying to illegally obtain Patarkatsishvili's considerable assets.
In November  [TGT] was placed in a prison hospital after arriving at a penal colony in eastern Belarus  where he was denied medicine  according to lawyers.
On leaving the prison clinic in the eastern town of Mogilyov  ZeltserZeltser said  "I am glad about my freedom."
[TGT]slightly limping  was met by U.S. officials and entered a car with them to head for the U.S. Embassy in Minsk.
Blaus an its authoritarian leader are on a drive to court better political and economic ties with the West  and Washington had said [TGT]'s release would help the process.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters earlier that Washington welcomed news that [TGT] would be released.
He said [TGT]'s imprisonment was "a major obstacle in our bilateral relations. We still have other concerns  of course  with some of the actions of the Belarusian government. So we're very happy that this one obstacle has been removed  and we'll review our policy as necessary."
[TGT] is a high-profile lawyer who headed the non-governmental American Russian Law Institute in New York. [TGT] once sued the Bank of New York for $2 billion on behalf of investors who had lost their deposits.
[TGT] is a renowned expert on organized crime and money laundering  particularly in former Soviet republics.
[TGT] clients have included Pavel Borodin  a former Kremlin aide who was accused of money laundering by a Swiss court  and Badri Patarkatsishvili  the late Georgian billionaire who was a bitter opponent of Georgia's current administration.
Belarusian authorities said that fake documents [TGT] was carrying were tied to Patarkatsishvili's business interests.
Zeltser's brother  Mark  has said that [TGT] had flown to Minsk to check on the status of several of Patarkatsishvili's assets. Some bsrvrsinBears ugesedtht else'sares ayhae ee arrange by those trying to illegally obtain Patarkatsishvili's considerable assets.