Australian faces jail in Russia over $400,000 engagement ring

London: An Australian man faces up to two years in a Russian prison for failing to declare a platinum diamond engagement ring worth hundreds of thousands of dollars on arrival in Moscow.

Customs officers at Domodedovo airport discovered the ring, designed by US jeweller Harry Winston and worth an estimated 22 million roubles ($401,634), on the 60-year-old man who has transited from Australia through Dubai, the Federal Customs Service said.

The government agency said on its Telegram-channel the inspector stopped the man in the airports “green” corridor and the ring was found in his backpack. It said the Harry Winston Classic Collection was made of 950-carat platinum with an inlaid six-carat diamond and two baguette side stones.

The man, who has not been identified but described as an Australian resident, reportedly told officers it was an engagement ring for his fiancée and he was not aware of strict customs regulations before transporting the jewellery.

The agency said he was charged under Russian law for evasion of customs payments on a large amount. It said the crime was punishment with imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 500,000 roubles.

The man’s arrest was widely reported in Russian media and circulated on various social media platforms.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it did not have consular role in the incident, while members of the Australian expat community in Russia told this masthead they were puzzled as to the man’s identity.

The agency also used the discovery to promote some of its other recent discoveries, including when customs officers seized radioactive volcanic sand in the luggage of a tourist who flew in from India last month.