Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva delivered a thinly veiled message to Washington yesterday that the extradition of suspected Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout cannot be rushed and will only happen after the necessary legal steps are completed.
“We are not sending Viktor Bout back today. There are still several legal steps to go through,” Abhisit said.
Abhisit’s comment came after a flurry of overnight rumors that the extradition had already taken place or that Bout would be escorted by commandos and handed over to US authorities yesterday morning. Other Thai officials also indicated that the US was trying to speed the legal process, but said that Thailand would not be pressured.
Bout, a 43-year-old former Soviet air force officer, is reputed to be one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers. He is known as “The Merchant of Death” and was an inspiration for the arms dealer played by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 film, Lord of War.
A Thai appeals court on Friday last week ordered Bout’s extradition within three months to face four terrorism-related charges in the US.
US authorities want him turned over quickly, but a legal bottleneck appears to have stalled the process.
The US Embassy declined any comment on the case or on Thai news reports that a US government plane had landed at a military airport adjacent to Bangkok’s Don Muang International Airport on Tuesday.
“Due to security reasons we will not comment on pending extradition cases,” embassy spokeswoman Kristin Kneedler said.
US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley would not discuss timing of extradition on Tuesday night, except to say it is “pending.”
“We look forward to seeing him in a US court,” Crowley said.
In an illustration of the confusion, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported on its front page yesterday that the extradition had already taken place.
Under the headline, “US swoops to grab Bout,” the paper reported that: “His sudden extradition this morning has caught many Thai authorities by surprise.”
Prior to Friday’s ruling, the US had filed additional charges against Bout — a step that was now slowing down his extradition because Bout cannot legally leave Thailand until he goes to court to hear the charges or the US drops them, said Sirisak Tiyapan, director of the international division of Thailand’s Office of the Attorney General.
The new charges of money laundering and wire fraud stem from an updated US indictment against Bout filed in February last year.
“I gather the US government has contacted the [Thai] Foreign Ministry asking to drop the second charges,” Sirisak said.
If that happens, the ministry will notify the Thai Attorney General’s office, which would ask the court to drop the charges, and then the court can process the request. The extradition itself involves separate paperwork.
“I think [the US] really wants him. They don’t want to wait for the three months to expire,” he said, adding, “We do not feel pressure from either the United States or Russia. The procedure follows clear international treaties and laws and Thailand is obliged to comply.”
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