MOSCOW, November 6 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is ready to file a formal request to extradite convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout from the US once the appeal process is over, a Russian diplomat said Wednesday.
Bout was sentenced to 25 years in a US prison in 2010 on charges of conspiring to kill US citizens and sell arms to Colombian militants. His numerous appeals have been turned down.
“If the appeal procedures are over and Bout’s lawyers think that further moves in this direction are unnecessary, then naturally, this will be a situation that paves the way for handing over an official request for Bout’s extradition to the US side on the basis of the Council of Europe’s convention [on the transfer of sentenced persons],” said Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s point man for human rights and the rule of law.
The US rejected Russia’s request for Bout’s extradition last year on the grounds that the appeal procedures were not over yet.
