The Tallinn-based Harju regional court decided on Tuesday that extradition to Russia of Alexander Dmitriyev, former head of a Russian bank accused of defrauding the bank of millions of rubles, is legally permissible.
Estonian court gives nod to Russian banker's extradition
12th March 2013, 18:44
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The ruling did not step into force immediately as the parties to the proceeding have the right to contest it in the second-tier Tallinn Circuit Court. The circuit court's ruling in turn can be appealed with the Supreme Court.
Once the ruling on the permissibility of extradition takes effect the final decision on surrendering the banker to the Russian authorities rests with the justice minister.
Since the beginning of this year Dmitriyev's defense have been using various ways to put off the possible extradition. In January they requested and were granted postponement of the decision in order to ask Russian law enforcement authorities to provide additional materials. By the beginning of this month the materials had been received and handed to the sides in the proceeding. On March 4 the Harju court informed the defense and the Public Prosecutor's Office that the extradition hearing will be held on the next day.
On March 5 Dmitriyev's lawyer announced that he needed more time to prepare his speech. The court agreed and gave him three days, scheduling the next sitting for March 8.
Estonia's central criminal police apprehended the former head of the Omsk branch of the Russian AK BARS Bank who is accused of embezzling more than 400 million rubles (EUR over 10 mln) in January.
The Russian authorities have declared Dmitriyev internationally wanted and charged him with large-scale fraud.
The ex-banker and former member of the council of the Siberian city of Omsk is alleged to have persuaded more than 100 people between 2007 and 2009 to sign mortgage contracts with the bank worth more than 350 million rubles or around 8.6 million euros then pocketing the money. He allegedly paid the phony borrowers 1,000 to 10,000 rubles (EUR 25-250) for it.
Dmitriyev also allegedly contracted around 80 million rubles' (EUR 2 mln) worth of loans with the help of his associates in the Omsk council who nominally ran the businesses controlled by him. The borrowed funds were transferred to the businesses and used for personal purposes "including the acquisition of valuable property - cars, speedboats and aircraft," prosecutors in Russia have said.
Information published earlier shows that Dmitriyev gave statements as witness in the case beginning from mid-2010. He stopped seeing investigators in December 2010, then went into hiding and was declared a fugitive.