MOSCOW, November 21. /TASS/. The ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York against reviewing the case of Russian national Viktor Bout serving a 25-year prison term in the United States was predictable, Bout’s wife told TASS on Monday.
Alla Bout said she could only hope for the political solution of her husband’s case under the new US administration.
"This is grave news," Alla Bout said, commenting on the court's ruling. "By now, almost all juridical possibilities have been used up," she said.
"We’ll be hoping that the program of US President-elect Donald Trump who has stated his intention to normalize relations with Russia will be supported by real deeds," Bout’s wife said.
"We expect the Bout case to be resolved politically, given certain efforts and actions from Russia," Alla Bout said.
Bout’s lawyer Alexei Tarasov said earlier on Monday that filing an appeal to the US Supreme Court was the sole possible further move.
Alla Bout said that the court’s refusal to hold hearings on the proposal by the counsel for the defense was "an expected result" despite the defense counsel’s efforts.
"The basic argument was that Andrew Smulian who had allegedly been Bout’s accomplice had been in real fact recruited by the US Drug Enforcement Administration and had been a paid employee of US special services and, therefore, the criminal case against my husband as such could not take place," Alla Bout said.