Viktor Bout Says US Appeals Court Refusal of New Trial Expected

Russian citizen Viktor Bout, sentenced in the United States for 25-year prison term on charges of conspiring to supply Colombian rebels with weapons, said Wednesday he expected the refusal of his appeal for a new trial in a US court.

BANGKOK (Sputnik) — A US appeals court has recently denied Bout, 49, a retrial based on new evidence.

"I have not expected any other ruling. The American court is a show, an entertainment venue. It has ready and predictable answers to any facts or defense arguments, and these answers will not change until the political will, the political atmosphere [in the United States] changes," Bout told RIA Novosti in a phone call.

Bout's lawyer Alexey Tarasov said Monday the defense team does not rule out an appeal to the US Supreme Court for a new trial.