The Paris Court of Appeal denied NABU and SAPO's request for the extradition of businessman Kostiantyn Zhevago
As written by ThePublic.info, this is reported by "Interfax-Ukraine", citing the press service of the businessman.
The Paris Court of Appeal on Wednesday, after analyzing materials provided by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), and lawyers, refused the extradition of Ukrainian businessman and former People's Deputy Kostiantyn Zhevago, according to the press release.
"The court cannot conclude that the extradition request party can guarantee that Kostiantyn Zhevago will appear before a court that provides fundamental guarantees of procedural justice and human rights protection," - the court's decision is quoted in the release.
It is stated that the French court did not accept the Ukrainian side's arguments regarding guarantees of Zhevago's right to a fair and impartial trial, recognizing that there are significant risks of violating his fundamental rights.
"This decision once again proves that the criminal proceedings against me have nothing to do with justice. I hope that NABU and SAP will finally hear the position of international courts and act strictly within the law," — Zhevago's words are cited in the release.
As reported, the extradition request for Zhevago was initiated by the Office of the Prosecutor General and NABU as part of an investigation into a criminal proceeding concerning allegedly providing unlawful benefits to the Chairman of the Supreme Court, Vsevolod Knyaziev.
This is already the second refusal by the French court to extradite the Ukrainian businessman. At the end of March 2023, a court in Chamblet (France) rejected the request of the State Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Prosecutor General for Zhevago's extradition on another case — involving charges along with several top managers of the bank "Finance and Credit" for organizing a scheme to embezzle $113 million and cause damage to the interests of the state and bank depositors.
