site.btaBulgarian Court to Decide on Russian Extradition Request for Putin Critic on October 21 at the Earliest

ESD 13:10:30 10-09-2014
LG1310ES.111
111 POLITICS - RUSSIAN NATIONAL - POLITICAL ASYLUM - COURT

Bulgarian Court to Decide on Russian
Extradition Request for Putin Critic
on October 21 at the Earliest


Sofia, September 10 (BTA) - The Sofia City Court (SCC) Wednesday
adjourned its hearing on an extradition request from Russia for
Nicolay Koblyakov. The Court gave Russia 30 days to provide
further details and clear up ambiguities in the documents sent.
Thus, the earliest date on which a decision on the request will
be made is October 21.

Koblyakov, who holds Russian and French citizenship, was
arrested at Sofia Airport on July 29 on a European Arrest
Warrant. Russia placed him on the Interpol wanted list on
January 17, 2013 for having committed a 1.2 million euro fraud
between December 2004 and September 2005. Human rights
organizations say, however, that he is persecuted by the
authorities in Moscow for political reasons. As founder of the
French non-governmental organization Russie-Libertes, Koblyakov
has staged a series of actions against Russian President
Vladimir Putin in France.

On Wednesday, Koblyakov asked the Court to allowed him to leave
for France in connection with various social projects, but the
Court determined that this is not urgent. ZH/LG
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