EXTRADITION CASE
The Criminal Court has ordered state prosecutors to hand over all arrest and investigation documents pertaining to charges against Viktor Bout, following a request by his lawyer, who claimed the arrest of the Russian suspect was unfair.
Defence lawyer Pricha Prasertsak yesterday protested against the court hearing of a prosecution witness, who is an interrogating officer at the Crime Suppression Division (CSD). He reasoned that the CSD had not sent necessary investigation documents to the judge for consideration.
The CSD's failure to do so raised doubts over the prosecution procedure against Mr Bout, said the lawyer.
"If police officers had unlawfully arrested Mr Bout, he could not be extradited to the United States," Mr Pricha said.
US authorities are seeking the extradition of Mr Bout to stand trial on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, conspiring to kill US officers or employees, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, and conspiring to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile.
State prosecutor Sopon Kasempiboonchai yesterday asked the court to consider the US extradition request and the defence lawyer's complaint at the same time to avoid further delays.
Court hearings had been postponed three times already, prompting US authorities to call on the Thai government to speed up the extradition process, the prosecutor said.
The judge agreed and ordered the prosecutors to turn over all documents relating to Mr Bout's detention. The next hearing is scheduled for Dec 22.
Mr Bout was arrested in Bangkok in March following an elaborate sting operation by US and Thai officers.
US agents posed as Latin American rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, in a plot to lure Mr Bout from Russia to Thailand.
Mr Bout denied any involvement. He claimed he was only a transporter of air cargo who never knew what the planes he chartered were carrying, his brother Sergei claimed.
Dubbed the "Merchant of Death," by the media, Mr Bout, 41, is suspected to have supplied weapons to rebel groups in Afghanistan, Africa and South America.
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