Η περίεργη υπόθεση της σύλληψης του Viktor Bout

Q: Have you heard of publications in the American press suggesting that a certain"Bout-for-Khodorkovsky" swap deal is being considered? What do you think of such rumors?

A: I think these rumors are ungrounded.

The United States refused to extradite convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout to Russia over a “formality” coupled with a set of illegitimate pretexts, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Story

• Arms Dealer Bout Says ‘Expected’ Extradition Denial

  10:36   15/11/2012  
  Convicted Russian international arms dealer Viktor Bout said he had expected the US Department of Justice's decision last week to turn down Moscow’s request to repatriate him to Russia.

• US Justice Department Denies Russia Bout Transfer Request

  02:24   10/11/2012  
  The US Department of Justice has refused to transfer convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to Russia for him to serve his prison time at home, Bout’s attorney Albert Dayan said.
  

• Arms Dealer Bout Defense Claims 'New Evidence'

  10:59   12/10/2012  
  Defense lawyers for jailed Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout claim there is new evidence to support their appeal for the case to be reconsidered.

• Russia Submits Bout Extradition Documents to U.S.

  18:49   23/08/2012  MOSCOW, August 23 (RIA Novosti)
  Russia has handed to the United States documents required by the country to consider the extradition of convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, the Russian Justice Ministry said on Thursday.

• Bout’s Lawyer Seeks to Postpone Appeal Deadline

  07:38   09/08/2012  NEW YORK, August 9 (RIA Novosti)
  A lawyer of convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was sentenced to 25 years in jail by a U.S. court in April, is seeking to postpone the deadline for appealing against the ruling for three months.

• Bout Serving Term with Terrorists, Learning Arabic - Lawyer

  07:24   27/07/2012  NEW YORK, July 27 (RIA Novosti)
  Jailed Russian businessman Viktor Bout is serving his term with terrorists and learning the Arabic language, his lawyer Albert Dayan told RIA Novosti.

• U.S. Attorney Gen. Considers Bout Extradition to Russia -NGO

  23:55   17/07/2012  NEW YORK, July 17 (RIA Novosti)
  The U.S. attorney general is considering the possibility of extraditing two Russian nationals sentenced in the U.S. to lengthy prison terms for arms and drugs trafficking, the executive director of an international NGO said on Tuesday.

• Bout’s Wife Submits Extradition Request to Russian Justice Ministry

  21:22   06/07/2012  MOSCOW, July 6 (RIA Novosti)
  Alla Bout, the wife of jailed Russian businessman Viktor Bout who is serving his 25-year imprisonment in the United States, submitted on Friday an extradition request to Russia’s Justice Ministry.

• Bout May Seek U.S. Presidential Pardon – Lawyer

  15:28   29/06/2012  MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti)
  The legal defense team of Russian businessman Viktor Bout will seek a pardon from U.S. President Barack Obama if appeals fail, Bout’s lawyer Viktor Burobin said on Friday.

• Russia Studying Bout, Yaroshenko Repatriation Prospects

  13:16   15/06/2012  MOSCOW, June 15 (RIA Novosti)
  Russia is studying the possibilities for transferring convicted Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout, and ex-pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, to Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Friday.

• Russian Arms Dealer Sent to Terrorist Prison Block - Media

  11:12   08/06/2012  MOSCOW, June 8 (RIA Novosti)
  Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer who received a 25-year prison sentence in the United States for planning to kill U.S. nationals and sell arms to the Colombian militants, will serve his time in an Illinois prison block reserved for convicted terrorists, Russian Kommersant daily reported on Friday.

• No Spy Swap for Bout - Security Service

  12:47   07/06/2012  MOSCOW, June 7 (RIA Novosti)
  There will be no prisoner swap involving convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout and former Federal Security Service (FSB) Colonel Valery Mikhailov who was sentenced for spying for the United States, a top security service official told RIA Novosti on Thursday on the condition of anonymity.

• U.S. Court Agrees Bout Move to Lower Security Prison

  14:50   04/06/2012  NEW YORK, June 4 (RIA Novosti)
  A U.S. court has decided to transfer convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to a medium-security prison in Marion, Illinois after a three-party meeting between the Attorney's Office, the court and his defense, Bout's counsel Albert Dayan told RIA Novosti on Monday.

• Bout to be Transferred to Medium-Security Prison in Illinois

  23:42   01/06/2012  NEW YORK, June 1 (RIA Novosti)
  Conditions of imprisonment for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout have been softened and he will be transferred to medium-security prison in Marion, Illinois, his lawyer Albert Dayan said on Friday.

• Russia Seeks Standard Prison Conditions for Bout

  13:48   30/05/2012  MOSCOW, May 30 (RIA Novosti)
  Convicted Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout, should serve his prison term in standard conditions, not as a dangerous criminal, Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika said on Wednesday.

• U.S. Attorney General to Study Bout Transfer Possibilities

  22:00   29/05/2012  MOSCOW, May 29 (RIA Novosti)
  U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has pledged to study the possibilities of transferring convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout and ex-pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko to Russia, a senior official in the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said on Tuesday.

• Russia Applies for Yaroshenko Transfer, Bout Future Unclear

  20:34   24/05/2012  MOSCOW, May 24 (RIA Novosti)
  Russia’s Justice Ministry has applied for the transfer of Russian ex-pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, jailed in the U.S. for drug trafficking, to Russia, the minister said on Thursday.

• Bout Defense Prepares Extradition Request and Appeals

  10:10   24/05/2012  NEW YORK, May 24 (RIA Novosti)
  The defense team for imprisoned Russian businessman, Viktor Bout, has started work on an appeal to Russian Ministry of Justice requesting his extradition from the U.S. as well as appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court and the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Bout’s lawyer Albert Dayan said.

• Arms Dealer Bout’s Former Accomplice Jailed for 5 Years

  05:07   24/05/2012  NEW YORK, May 24 (RIA Novosti)
  A U.S. court has sentenced a South African pilot who testified against his former associate and jailed Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to five years in jail, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.

• U.S. May Extradite Bout Under Bilateral Convention – Foreign Ministry

  12:01   21/05/2012  MOSCOW, May 21 (RIA Novosti)
  Convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout may be sent to Russia under the European Council-backed Russian-U.S Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, though it will require many talks from both sides on the ministerial level, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

• Russia Ready for Dialogue on Bout's Return

  14:32   18/05/2012  MOSCOW, May 18 (RIA Novosti)
  Moscow is ready to discuss with Washington the possibility of having convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout serve out his 25-year sentence in Russia rather than in the U.S., Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Friday.

• Viktor Bout’s Transfer to Colorado Prison Postponed

  00:07   16/05/2012  NEW YORK, May 16 (RIA Novosti)
  U.S. prosecutors have postponed the transfer of convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout from his Brooklyn jail to a super maximum security prison in Colorado

• Russian Arms Dealer Bout Faces 'Supermax' Prison

  07:27   11/05/2012  NEW YORK, May 11 (RIA Novosti)
  The U.S. penitentiary authority has ordered transferring convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout from his Brooklyn jail to a super maximum security prison in Colorado, defense lawyer Andrei Garkusha told RIA Novosti on Friday.

• Bout Calls on Russia to Sue U.S., Thailand in International Court

  20:48   12/04/2012  MOSCOW, April 12 (RIA Novosti, Maria Kuchma)
  Convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who has been sentenced to 25 years in a U.S. jail, called on Russia on Thursday to launch a legal suit against the United States and Thailand on his behalf.

• No Deals with U.S. Justice, Says Bout

  18:19   12/04/2012  MOSCOW, April 12 (RIA Novosti)
  Convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who has been sentenced to 25 years in a U.S. jail, said on Thursday he would not admit his guilt or agree to any other deals or compromises with U.S. justice.

• Bout Calls on Russia to Sue U.S., Thailand in International Court

  17:57   12/04/2012  MOSCOW, April 12 (RIA Novosti)
  Convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who has been sentenced to 25 years in a U.S. jail, called on Russia on Thursday to launch a legal suit against the United States and Thailand on his behalf.

• Bout Hopes to Return to Russia ‘Quickly’

  17:40   12/04/2012  MOSCOW, April 12 (RIA Novosti)
  Convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who has been sentenced to 25 years in a U.S. jail, said on Thursday he believed that the Russian authorities would manage to arrange his return to his home country.

• Russia to Seek Repatriation of Bout, Yaroshenko – FM Lavrov

  07:14   12/04/2012  WASHINGTON, April 12 (RIA Novosti)
  Moscow will take all possible legal steps to ensure the repatriation of Russian businessman Viktor Bout and pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko sentenced to long prison terms in the United States

• Viktor Bout – 25 Years for Callous Talk

  00:58   07/04/2012  RIA Novosti political commentator Dmitry Kosyrev
  Last November a federal jury in New York convicted Russian citizen Viktor Bout of conspiring to kill Americans, attempting to buy and sell missiles, and supporting terrorism through cooperation with a terrorist organization, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. The judge has sentenced Bout to 25 years, although prosecutors had requested life in prison.

• Due West: Bout’s Sentence Poses Dilemma for Moscow

  19:45   06/04/2012  Weekly column by Konstantin von Eggert
  The hysteria surrounding Viktor Bout, a 45-year old Russian with a murky past, convicted by a U.S. court of conspiring to kill American citizens and sentenced to 25 years in jail, surpasses everything the Russian government has ever done to defend one of its citizens abroad.

• Viktor Bout Sentenced

  17:50   06/04/2012  
  A federal court in New York has ruled in one of the most controversial cases of recent years. Russian national Viktor Bout, accused of conspiring to murder U.S. citizens, attempting to acquire and sell missiles and supporting terrorism, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

• Moscow Condemns Bout Sentence and Seeks Return

  15:14   06/04/2012  MOSCOW, April 6 (RIA Novosti)
  Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday it will take all efforts necessary to repatriate convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout after a U.S. court sentenced him to 25 years in prison.

• Bout’s Lawyer "Judge Wanted to Give Businessman a Lesser Sentence but Hands Were Tied”

  11:44   06/04/2012  
  A federal court in New York has sentenced Viktor Bout to 25 years in prison. The businessman’s lawyers believe that judge Shira Scheindlin would have imposed a lesser