10:51 07.06.2019

Austria may extradite Firtash to U.S. by early July

2 min read
Austria may extradite Firtash to U.S. by early July

Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash, who is currently located in Austria, could be extradited to the United States by early July, NBC News has said.

"Attorney Dan Webb, who represents Firtash, said in the letter to the judge that the Austrian Supreme Court is expected to rule at a June 25 public hearing on whether Firtash will be handed over to U.S. officials," NBC News reported on its website.

The article cites Webb as saying his client's Austrian lawyers believe that if the Austrian Supreme Court affirms a lower appellate court's order of extradition, Firtash could be on his way to the U.S. from seven to 10 days after the June hearing, adding that Firtash's lawyers are seeking to have the charges against Firtash dropped.

U.S. federal prosecutors said in a 2017 filing that Firtash and his co-defendant in the alleged bribery scheme, Andras Knopp, "have been identified by United States law enforcement as two upper-echelon associates of Russian organized crime."

As reported, Group DF Chairman was arrested in Austria on March 12, 2014 at the request of the U.S. authorities, issued in 2013. He was accused of using permission to extract titanium raw materials in India with the help of bribes totaling $18.5 million for the subsequent sale of finished products in the United States. Firtash denied the charges and called them politically motivated, aimed at limiting his influence in Ukraine.

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