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Trial on lawfulness of Bout extradition to US delayed to Jan 2013

The Bangkok Criminal Court postponed a trial over the lawfulness of Viktor Bout’s extradition from Thailand to the United States to January 2013

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

BANGKOK, September 17 (Itar-Tass) —— The Bangkok Criminal Court postponed a trial over the lawfulness of Viktor Bout’s extradition from Thailand to the United States to January 2013. The judge has taken the ruling on Monday, because the Thai court had not received a response from the US to the request whether the Russian convict wishes to continue or terminate criminal proceedings against him in Bangkok over the death of his lawyer.

Bout’s previous lawyer in the Thai court Lak Nitiwat Wichan died last January. Wichan defended the Russian citizen in Thailand since the moment of his arrest in the Kingdom of Thailand in 2008 and attained the launch of the review of the criminal case at the Bangkok court in 2011. On August 10, 2011, the lawyer turned to the judges in Bangkok with the request to investigate the lawfulness of Bout’s extradition to the US in November 2010. According to Wichan, neither authorization documents nor legislative basis were provided for Bout’s extradition, so the extradition was illegal.

Thai lawyer of the Russian convicted businessman Montri Chaikuman presented the power of attorney from Bout to the court, but the judge noted that since the court secretariat in Bangkok has made a request to the US, the criminal proceedings can be resumed only after the properly processed document is received. The document should be signed by Bout and should contain his clear-cut intentions to continue or terminate the criminal case.

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