MOSCOW, November 1 - RAPSI. A decision may be made on Viktor Bout's extradition to Russia after November 10, his wife Alla Bout told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
Russia has said previously that it is ready to seek the extradition of Viktor Bout so that he could serve his prison term in Russia. However, the extradition of a convicted individual to Russia is a complex process.
First, Bout must give up his plans to file an appeal against his sentence and file an application with the U.S. authorities on his extradition. If he renounces his appeal, this will mean negotiations on his extradition can be held under the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons of 1983.
"Only after this will we think about drafting and filing an appeal," Alla Bout said.
Bout was arrested in Thailand in March 2008 during a sting operation led by U.S. agents and extradited to the United States in November 2010 after spending more than two and a half years in a Thai prison.
On April 5, the Federal District Court of New York found him guilty of conspiring to kill U.S. officials and citizens, acquiring and intending to sell Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles, and providing support to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which is considered a terrorist group by the United States. Bout was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Bout, who has maintained his innocence, is serving his sentence at a medium-security prison in Illinois. His defense told RIA Novosti they will be seeking for the case to be repealed on the basis of a new investigation in Thailand into the actions of several U.S. officials who allegedly put pressure on Thailand for Bout's transfer to New York.