PARIS, October 21. /TASS/. The defense of programmer Alexander Vinnik, suspected of identity theft and extortion, is satisfied with the course of the hearings on his case, which are being held in a Paris court, Vinnik’s lawyer Frederic Belot told TASS.
"Today the hearings went very well. Alexander gave detailed answers to all the questions of the judges," Belot said. According to the lawyer, his client "provided many details, clarified a number of aspects of his activities." "Vinnik gave all the necessary explanations in order to shed light on what happened as much as possible," Belot added.
"The court hearing will continue in the coming days. We expect the process can be completed as planned on Thursday evening," he added.
Vinnik’s case
Alexander Vinnik, a Russian IT specialist, was detained while vacationing in Greece on July 25, 2017 at the United States’ request, where he is accused of laundering four to nine billion US dollars through a no longer existent Internet exchange of cryptocurrencies BTC-e. On January 23, 2020, he was extradited to France. The final decision was made by Greece’s State Council, or the Supreme Court of Greece. Vinnik’s extradition was also sought by Russia and the United States. The Russian dismissed all the charges brought against him and expressed the readiness to return home.
On January 28, a Paris court ruled to keep Vinnik under arrest. The five-hour court session was held behind closed doors and, according to the defense attorneys, with numerous violations of law. Neither the defense team nor Vinnik himself were allowed to speak during these hearings.
On February 17, having considered the defense’s appeal, the Paris court again ruled for Vinnik’s remand in custody. The next day, his mother, Vera Vinnik, filed a request to French President Emmanuel Macron pleading for her son’s right to an impartial investigation. She handed her appeal to Russia’s embassy in Paris. On May 12, the Paris court rejected his attorneys’ request to release Vinnik for medical considerations. The defense team asked the court to release the Russian man under judicial control in France or to release him under house arrest, referring to coronavirus fears and unsafe conditions in the jail.