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Viktor Bout banned from entering US — Grant of Clemency

The document commutes Bout’s 25-year sentence to the time he has served by now to make it possible to release him

NEW YORK, December 9. /TASS/. Russian national Viktor Bout who has been released from the United States is banned from entering that country, according to the Executive Grant of Clemency signed by US President Joe Biden, which was published on Friday.

The document commutes Bout’s 25-year sentence to the time he has served by now to make it possible to release him.

Under the Grant, Bout is to waive all "claims to funds forfeited as part of the prosecution." He is also banned to receive payment for the publication and distribution in any form of the details about his case and release. In case of violations, the Grant of Clemency can be revoked.

The Russian Foreign Ministry reported on December 8 that Viktor Bout, a Russian citizen, who was serving out a prison sentence in the United States on arms trafficking charges, was returning to Russia as a result of a deal with the US to swap him for American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was apprehended in Russia for drug smuggling in February 2022. The exchange took place at Abu Dhabi’s airport.

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