The Austrian prosecutor general has contested the decision of the Higher Regional Court of Vienna (OLG) on the extradition of Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash to the United States made in February 2017, Austria Press Agency (APA) has reported.
According to the publication, with reference to the prosecutor general’s statement, the OLG did not sufficiently investigate whether the U.S. request for extradition was politically motivated: even with “purely criminal” actions, it is necessary to check whether there is a political motivation.
According to the material, the attorney general recommends that the Supreme Court of Austria (OGH) annul the decision of the OLG. In such a case, the Higher Regional Court of Vienna must re-examine the case on the extradition of Firtash.
Now the issue of extradition must be decided by the Supreme Court of Austria, the report states.
As reported, the chairman of the board of Group DF Dmytro Firtash was arrested in Austria on March 12, 2014, at the request of U.S. authorities, issued in 2013. During the previous U.S. administration, the Ukrainian businessman was accused of using bribes for a total of $18.5 million to get permission to extract titanium raw materials in India for the subsequent sale of finished products in the United States.
