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Date to pronounce sentence for Russia's Bout in US postponed

Otchainov said that the date was postponed as the prosecutor's office had no time to respond to the second of the two defence requests

NEW YORK, February 2 (Itar-Tass) —— The New York court has decided to postpone the sentence pronouncement for Russian businessman Viktor Bout who is found guilty of weapons smuggling, Russian Vice-Consul in New York Alexander Otchainov told Itar-Tass on Wednesday. Earlier, the date to pronounce the sentence was set for February 8, 2012. It is postponed indefinitely.

Otchainov said that the date was postponed as the prosecutor's office had no time to respond to the second of the two defence requests. The court also needs time to take a decision over the issues. A new date is not set yet.

On January 20, lawyer Albert Dayan defending Bout submitted a request to the federal court in the Southern New York district to reconsider Bout's case on the grounds that the wording used in the indictment was incorrect or incompletely reflecting reality and the jury took the decision proceeding from the incorrectly formulated document.

On November 2, twelve jurors in the New York federal court unanimously declared Bout guilty on all the four charges -- a criminal conspiracy with the aim to kill U.S. citizens, a criminal conspiracy to kill persons who are in U.S. state service, a criminal conspiracy to acquire and sell antiaircraft missiles and a criminal conspiracy to supply arms to terrorist groups.

The 44-year-old Russian citizen on these charges faces 25 years to life imprisonment.

Bout pleads not guilty.

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