An Austrian appellate court on Tuesday approved the extradition of Dymitro Firtash, a politically-connected Ukrainian oligarch, to the United States where he has been charged with bribery and other crimes.
A lower court had blocked Firtash’s extradition two years ago, ruling that the request by the U.S. Justice Department was politically motivated and tied to an effort by the State Department to influence Ukrainian politics and undermine Russia. Austrian prosecutors appealed that ruling on behalf of the U.S.
Firtash, who made billions as a middleman between Russian and Ukraine in the natural gas business, was a main political patron and financial backer …read more
Source: POLITICO – Europe Edition
