Lawyer: Russian Citizen Vinnik Sent to Paris Airport as France Approves His Extradition to Greece

PARIS (Sputnik) - The Investigation Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal on Thursday approved the US request to withdraw Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik’s extradition request, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

"In connection with the US request to withdraw their extradition request, the court has ruled to approve this request and to release you," the presiding judge told Vinnik.

Vinnik’s lawyer Frederic Belot told Sputnik that the Russian citizen was immediately detained again after the court’s ruling, this time on Greece’s request.

"A court in Paris today released Vinnik as part of an extradition case to the United States. Alexander Vinnik was released as part of this case. However, there is another matter - about his extradition to Greece. As part of the request of the Greek authorities and agreements between France and Greece, Vinnik will be detained again," the lawyer said, adding that Vinnik will be extradited to Greece possibly on Thursday.

Later in the day, lawyer Zoe Konstantopoulou said that Vinnik is being transported to an airport, as France intends to send him to Greece, adding that Athens may immediately forward him on to the US.

Vinnik was detained in Greece in 2017 at the request of the US, which accused him of laundering $4 billion worth of funds through a cryptocurrency trading platform. In the US, Vinnik faces 55 years in prison. France also filed charges against Vinnik. On January 23, 2020, Vinnik was extradited to France, where he was sentenced to five years in prison and a 100,000 euro ($119,433) fine in December that year. Vinnik has denied committing any criminal or administrative offenses.