French Court Rules Against Kazakh Banker Ablyazov's Extradition to Russia

The French Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court, ruled Friday to cancel the order to extradite former Kazakh banker Mukhtar Ablyazov to Russia.

PARIS (Sputnik) — In 2015, the then-Prime Minister Manuel Valls signed an extradition order for Ablyazov, who had been wanted by authorities in several countries, including Russia and Ukraine, on various corruption charges.

"The French Council of State considered the request for annulment of the decree on the extradition of the Kazakh national to Russia, prosecuted for multiple  violations," the court said in a statement.

"The French Council of State ruled that the request for extradition to Russia was politically motivated…and decided to revoke the decree on extradition," the statement said.