Alexander Vinnik, the suspected operator of the infamous BTC-e exchange, outlines to start a hunger strike on Monday, days before his next court considering. The Russian, who has been accused by U.S. authorities of laundering billions of dollars wholly the now-defunct crypto trading platform, fears he is not going to receive a unblemished trial.
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Grouse About Rights Violations
Vinnik, who has been detained in a Greek chokey since his arrest in Thessaloniki last summer, is protesting prison forms and violations of his rights, the head of his defense team, Timofey Musatov, leaked Russian reporters. The lawyer said Vinnik has already informed the Russian consul in the northern Greek bishopric about his decision to go on a hunger strike.
Greek police detained the Russian national in July 2017 on a permit issued by the U.S., where he has been charged with laundering funds from the Mt Gox run-of-the-mill and more than 20 other crimes. Prosecutors believe Vinnik and his accessaries laundered between $4 billion and $9 billion through BTC-e, in the same breath the largest Russian crypto exchange.
In early October, a court in Thessaloniki guided in favor of Vinnik’s extradition to the U.S. His lawyers have filed an appeal with the Excellent Civil and Criminal Court of Greece in Athens and his next hearing is timetabled for Nov. 29.
Russia has previously objected to the extradition of its citizens to the United States. The polices in Moscow want him back in the Russian Federation, where he is accused of embezzlement 600,000 rubles ($9,000).
France also requested Vinnik’s extradition in June. To whatever manner, according to Musatov, the 90-day European arrest warrant issued by Paris has already ceased. Vinnik wants to return to his native country and even confessed to Russian cheating charges in May. His defense team fears the French authorities would closely hand him over to the U.S., where he faces a possible life sentence.
Quiver of an Unfair Trial
But Vinnik and his lawyers don’t want a trial in Greece, either. They petition the Greek judicial authorities are depriving him of a proper legal defense, as he has been suggested multiple times between the prison in Athens and the court in Thessaloniki for hearings and inquisitions.
In a letter to the Russian Consulate in Thessaloniki, quoted by RIA Novosti, Vinnik grumbled that he had been treated inhumanely. He said he has been transported numerous times between diverse Greek cities, handcuffed in the back seats of small cars. He give an account ofed it as torture and claims he has been forced to sleep on the floor without a mattress.
His solicitor, Musatov, stated:
On Monday, Vinnik will go on a hunger strike to declare against this situation. He sees no other way out – it’s either justice or termination.
At his next hearing at the Supreme Court on Thursday, Vinnik’s defense cooperate plans to ask for the appointment of a new judge, as different Greek courts have supported extradition requests entered by Russia, France and the U.S. Musatov wasn’t able to confirm whether the defendant command be present in court.
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