Extradition of Firtash to US to last longer than expected – court

“As of now, there is no extradition date. The defendant filed a motion to reopen the proceedings and submitted many documents. Pursuant to the Austrian Code of Procedure, the permission can be given to reopen the case, and that was done,” court spokeswoman Christina Salzborn said in a commentary to the Voice of America.

It is noted that despite the array of information and new evidence added to the case, it will take some time to evaluate the request for reopening.

“However, the court’s decision may again be subject to appeal. Therefore, even after the judges decide to reopen a case, I don’t think it will be over,” the court’s spokeswoman added.

When asked how long the whole trial may last, she replied: "I think that consideration of the case will stretch well into the autumn. It all depends on the time of the reopening procedure."

As reported, on July 16, Austrian Justice Minister Clemens Jabloner authorized the extradition of Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash to the United States.

On June 26, a panel of the Austrian Supreme Court judges approved the possibility of extraditing Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash to the United States, upholding the ruling of the Supreme Court in Vienna.

The final decision on the extradition of Firtash to the United States was to be taken by the Justice Minister of Austria.

The trial in the case of the extradition of the Group DF’s owner to the United States has been lasting since 2014.

Firtash was detained in the capital of Austria on March 12, 2014 at the request of the US Department of Justice. The Department charged the Ukrainian oligarch with bribing the Indian officials to obtain a permit for the extraction of titanium raw material in India. The finished products were then planned to be sold at the Boeing company headquartered in Chicago (USA).

ol