PARIS, October 8. /TASS/. The Paris Court of Appeal has turned down a motion asking that Russian basketballer Daniil Kasatkin be released on his own recognizance while awaiting a decision on extradition to the US, a TASS correspondent reported from the courtroom.
The Russian athlete has been accused of cyberfraud by the United States, and was detained in France at America's asking. The court will decide on whether the US extradition request for him should be granted on October 29. No hearings are scheduled for this day, and the judge will only pronounce the verdict.
Speaking in court, Kasatkin said the charges against him were outrageous. He denied any ties to the criminal underworld and involvement in any illicit schemes.
Kasatkin was detained at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport at the request of US authorities on June 21. He is suspected of being part of a hacker group that carried out ransomware attacks targeting US companies and federal agencies.
The Investigative Chamber at the Paris court, having reviewed on July 9 a request for release filed by Kasatkin's lawyer, decided to keep the athlete in custody after lengthy deliberations, despite assurances from his lawyer that he would remain in France and not skip bail.