Dubai: Man appeals extradition order to Russia, cites 'threat to life'

A Kyrgyz national, 33, has appealed against his extradition order to Russia from the UAE, citing threat to his life.

The Dubai Court of Appeal has given its nod to the extradition of the Kyrgyz national, who has been implicated in a series of fraud cases worth $5.5 million (Dh20.2 million) from a Russian bank after a trial that ran for over three years.

The defendant changed his lawyer following the verdict of the Dubai Court of Appeal and moved the Court of Cassation.

The accused was arrested in November 2017 following the issuance of a Red Notice by Interpol for allegedly carrying out 95 frauds between 2008 and 2011.

Records revealed that the defendant didn’t act alone and was a part of an organised racket that scammed the bank by facilitating loans to unknown people by abusing his official position and using bogus documents.

He denied any wrongdoing and told the court that he worked as an accountant at the bank and didn’t have any authority to approve loans.

“The crimes had occurred between 2008 and 2011, when I used to work at the bank. However, I came to the UAE in 2013,” said the defendant. “I’m afraid I’ll get killed in Russia if I were to be sent back,” he added.

Initially, an extradition request filed by Dubai prosecutors was dismissed by the court in December, 2019, but later they challenged the dismissal of their plea.

A retrial was ordered by the Court of Cassation following which a new panel of appeal judges heard his case and ordered his extradition last November.

This was followed by another appeal filed by the defendant’s lawyer.

“It’s mandatory, when this extradition request was filed, to include a certified copy of the Russian law, according to which my client may be prosecuted in Russia, which is not the case,” argued Awatif Mohammed from Al Rowaad Advocates, the defendant’s Emirati lawyer.

“The Russian law must be attached to the case file. It must also incorporate the lapse of time because it’s a violation of one of the conditions of the extradition treaty between the UAE and Russia,” Al Rowaad further argued in court.

Earlier, the defendant was handed down a two-month sentence in absentia by a Russian court.

• Dubai
• Abu Dhabi