U.S. retracts second set of charges against suspected Russian arms dealer
15:53 31/08/2010 BANGKOK, August 31 (RIA Novosti) - The Thai Prosecutor General's Office on Tuesday received a formal request from the United States to drop a second set of charges against Russian suspected arms trader Viktor Bout, a Thai daily reported on Tuesday.
The Prosecutor General's Office will now consider the U.S. request, make a recommendation about whether it should be granted and send it to the Thai Criminal Court, which is handling the Bout case, The Bangkok Post said.
Bout, 44, was arrested in March 2008 at the request of the United States. His extradition to the United States was ordered by the Thai appeals court on August 20. Bout claims he has never been involved in the arms trade and that there was no evidence of his involvement in the business.
On February 17, the United States brought new charges against Bout, accusing him of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the U.S. federal law that prohibits the export of goods, technologies or services that pose an "unusual and extraordinary threat... to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States".
The charges were passed over to the Thai criminal court two hours before the appeals court reached its verdict on the 2008 accusations. In accordance with Thai law, Bout cannot be extradited to the United States until the second charges are brought to court.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the Thai court's decision politically motivated, and suggested it was made to please Washington. He said Moscow would seek Bout's repatriation.
Russia strongly opposes the extradition of Bout, mainly because of concerns that the former army officer could reveal state or military data. Bout said on Friday he does not know any Russian state or military secrets.
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