After serving his five-year prison sentence in France, Russian IT and crypto expert Alexander Vinnik now faces his return to Greece and possible extradition to the United States. A French Cassation Court has recently dismissed an appeal filed by his defense against the transfer.
US extradition continues to hunt BTC-e’s Alexander Vinnik
Alexander Vinnik, the alleged operator of the notorious BTC-e exchange, is once again in danger of extradition to the United States. The Russian’s international defense team is still trying to secure his release, but the French judiciary is inclined to deport him back to Greece, where he was arrested.
In December 2020, Vinnik was sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering in France, where he was extradited by Greece. In the summer of 2017, Vinnik was caught in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, where he had come on vacation with his family.
The Russian citizen has served his full French sentence, in keeping with his pre-trial detention and parole rules. Formally, he may now be allowed to travel to Russia, where authorities have also sought his extradition on separate charges. He has expressed his desire to return to his home country in the past.
However, France now intends to hand him over to Greece, after an appeal filed by his defense – which included legal experts from Russia, France and Greece – was rejected last month. Frederic Bellot, the French lawyer representing Vinnik, told the Russian business daily Kommersant:
On Tuesday, June 28, without any motive or justification, the Court of Cassation issued a judgment dismissing the appeal. It was an unexpected and shocking decision.
Alexander Vinnik is now likely to be transferred back to Greece and then to the United States, as Greek officials have already approved a US request for extradition before sending him to France. Lawyers managed to stop the immediate transfer with another appeal and also sought help from the European Court of Human Rights.
US prosecutors believe that Vinnik laundered at least $4 billion through the now defunct crypto exchange BTC-e. US investigators also suspect Vinnik of collaborating with Russian intelligence, alleging that part of the digital money passing through the crypto trading platform could be used to finance Russia’s security forces.
What do you think will be the fate of Alexander Vinnik? Share your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.
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