U.S., Russia in extradition tug-of-war over bitcoin fraud suspect in Greece
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A Greek court backed the extradition to Moscow
of a Russian citizen who also faces being sent to the United States on
allegations of laundering billions of dollars in bitcoin.
Alexander Vinnik, the suspected mastermind of
a $4 billion (£3.03 billion) bitcoin laundering ring, is one of seven
Russians arrested or indicted worldwide this year on U.S. cybercrime charges.
Judges ruled last week that he should be
extradited to the United States, a decision Russia criticised as unjust and
illegal and which Vinnik is challenging at Greece’s supreme court.
Should it decide to uphold the ruling to
extradite him to the United States, the final decision is in the hands of
Greece’s justice minister, who can approve extradition to one country and
block the other.
Vinnik denies all charges against him. But he
has agreed to be returned to Russia where he is to be tried on lesser fraud
charges.
“That is his wish - to be extradited to Russia
and to give his account before the Russian judicial authorities,” Alexandros
Lykourezos, the lawyer leading Vinnik’s defence, told reporters after the
ruling in Thessaloniki.
In the United States, where he faces up to 55
years in prison, Vinnik is accused of running BTC-e — a digital currency
exchange used to trade bitcoin — to facilitate crimes ranging from computer
hacking to drug trafficking since 2011.
He has told Greek judges that he was a
technical consultant to BTC-e and not its operator.
Vinnik was arrested while on holiday in a
seaside village in Greece in July. Russia then sought his extradition as it
has done with other nationals wanted by the United States.
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