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US court sets next hearing in case of Russian national Vinnik for September 27

The court is still considering procedural issues of Vinnik’s case, hearings on the merits will start later

NEW YORK, August 16. /TASS/. The next hearing in the case of Alexander Vinnik, Russian national extradited to the United States, will be held on September 27, meanwhile he stays in custody, a spokesperson in the press service of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California told TASS following the meeting held on Monday.

"The next meeting is scheduled for 27th of September. Meanwhile he stays in custody," the official said.

The court is still considering procedural issues of Vinnik’s case, hearings on the merits will start later.

On August 4, the Investigative Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeals ruled that Vinnik should be extradited to Greece.

Vinnik, a Russian IT specialist, was detained in Greece in July 2017 at the request of the United States, where he is accused of laundering $4-9 billion through the no longer existing crypto exchange BTC-e.

In December 2019, Greek Justice Minister Konstantionos Tsiaras ruled that Vinnik be extradited first to France, then to the United States and eventually to Russia. In December 2020, a Paris court sentenced him to five years in prison and ordered a fine of more than 100,000 euros.

Vinnik himself said back in Greece that he would agree to return to Russia and stand a court trial in his homeland. In Russia, he is charged with embezzlement of over 600,000 rubles ($9,800) and computer fraud worth 750,000 million rubles (some $12.2 million).