MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Bout was arrested in Bangkok in 2008 in a joint operation between Thai and US authorities, who accused him of conspiring to kill US citizens by allegedly agreeing to supply Colombian militants with weapons. Moscow has said that the case has been politicized and has repeatedly called on Washington to release the Russian citizen.
"In fact, this is not a criminal justice system, but a prison factory. This is an assembly line — prisons are filled with people who are brought there on some charges… What can a judge do? They will, by default, make the decision that the government is expecting from her," Bout said, when asked about his opinion on his judge's admission of having passed an exceedingly harsh verdict.
The businessman added that the sums spent on his case explained a lot about his situation.
"They say here in such cases, cui bono… I think that the agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration have found an excellent method of wasting state funds," Bout said.
Bout also said that the "demonization" of his image in the media did not particularly influence his life in prison.
"They can demonize anyone, including me, someone who is not very important, as long as they get to spend money on that," Bout noted.
The businessman added that the situation may repeat itself in the future with someone else as "[they will] continue looking for pawns in future talks."
Bout said he doubted that changes could be made to his situation under the new US administration.
In April, Bout said he would not petition for pardon to US President Donald Trump, as the act would mean an automatic admission of guilt and rule out all defense mechanisms.
