GENEVA, Dec. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- The Swiss federal court ruled on Thursday that former Russian nuclear energy minister Yevgeny Adamov will be extradited to Russia instead of the United States.

    The ruling overturned a decision earlier this year by the Swissjustice ministry to extradite him to the U.S. to face fraud charges.

    Ruling on Adamov's appeal, the court concluded that the Russianextradition request had priority according to international law.

    The court said this would allow the investigation to take placein the country where the alleged crimes took place.

    It added that the U.S. extradition request was not valid under Swiss law, as the alleged crimes have been committed by a foreign functionary in a foreign fiscal system.

    Russian prosecutors have formally guaranteed that they will investigate the U.S. charges against Adamov.

    In September, the Swiss justice authorities gave priority to the U.S. request because, had it been given to Russia "Adamov's Russian citizenship would have meant that he could not subsequently be extradited forward" to the States.

    News reports said the former minister was "delighted and satisfied" with the new ruling.

    The Russian government, which had earlier condemned the justiceministry's decision, also welcomed the court ruling.

    Adamov was arrested on May 2 by the Swiss authorities on a U.S.warrant, which charged him with embezzling funds that had been destined for nuclear-safety upgrades in Russia, while he was visiting his daughter in Bern, capital of Switzerland.

    Russia had presented a formal extradition request to the Swiss authorities on May 17, accusing Adamov of fraud.

    Adamov was Russia's atomic-energy minister from 1998 to 2001. ARussian parliamentary commission has accused him of corruption. Enditem