Thai court delays extradition of alleged Russian arms dealer
15:32 04/10/2010
BANGKOK, October 4 (RIA Novosti) - A court in Thailand rejected on Monday a U.S. request to drop a second set of charges against alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, delaying his extradition to the U.S.
The decision to hear the second set of charges in a Thai court delays Bout's extradition to the U.S., as the Russian national is involved in legal proceedings not related to the first U.S. extradition request.
The court decision on the second set of charges is expected on Tuesday afternoon.
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), a U.S. federal law prohibiting 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.
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