Thailand extradited accused Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout to the US yesterday to face terrorism charges, siding with Washington in a tug-of-war with Moscow over whether to send him to stand trial or let him go home.
The Thai Cabinet approved Bout’s extradition yesterday after a long legal battle and police said the 43-year-old was put aboard a plane in Bangkok heading for the US at about 1:30pm in the custody of eight US officials.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said his Cabinet had approved extradition after acknowledging an earlier appeals court decision that Bout could be legally extradited.
Bout, a former Soviet air force officer who is reputed to have been one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers, was arrested at a Bangkok luxury hotel in March 2008 as part of a sting operation led by US agents.
Bout has allegedly supplied weapons that fueled civil wars in South America, the Middle East and Africa, with clients including former Liberian president Charles Taylor, Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and both sides in Angola’s civil war.
The head of a lucrative air transport empire, Bout had long evaded UN and US sanctions aimed at blocking his financial activities and restricting his travel. He claims he ran a legitimate business and never sold weapons, and fought hard to avoid extradition.
“This is an unequivocally political decision, lobbied by the US government,” Bout’s wife, Alla, said in Bangkok, according to televised remarks on Russia’s NTV network. “It has no legal basis whatsoever.”
Russia yesterday said that Thailand’s extradition of Bout to the US was illegal.
“The illegal extradition of V.A. Bout was the result of unprecedented political pressure from the United States,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“It is deeply regrettable that the Thai authorities have yielded to political pressure from outside and carried out this illegal extradition,” the ministry said, adding that Russia would continue to support Bout.
Russia had made strong public statements against Bout’s extradition, and privately, both Moscow and Washington were reported to be exerting heavy pressure on Abhisit’s government. US lawmakers also became involved, sending a letter to the Thai government urging extradition.
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