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Government resists pressure from Moscow to free Russian accused of being one of the world's biggest sellers of weapons
The Thai government today extradited the accused Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout to the US to face terrorism charges, rejecting heavy pressure from Moscow for him to be freed.
The Thai cabinet approved Bout's extradition today after a long legal battle, and the Russian was put on a plane in Bangkok at about 1:30 pm, according to police chief Supisarn Bhakdinarinath.
The prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, told reporters after the cabinet meeting that the government had sided with an earlier appeal court decision that Bout could be extradited.
Bout, a 43-year-old 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 hotel in March 2008 as part of a sting operation led by US agents.
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.
"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."
Bout has allegedly supplied weapons that fuelled civil wars in South America, the Middle East and Africa, with clients including Liberia's Charles Taylor, the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, and both sides in Angola's civil war.
A lengthy legal and diplomatic battle preceded today's action.
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.
A Thai court originally rejected Washington's request for Bout's extradition on terrorism-related charges in August 2009. After that ruling was reversed by an appeal court in August this year, the US moved to get him out quickly, sending a special plane to stand by.
Just ahead of the appeal court ruling, the US forwarded new money-laundering and wire fraud charges to Thailand in an attempt to keep Bout detained if the court ordered his release. But the move backfired by requiring a hearing on the new charges. Those were dismissed in early October.
Russia says Bout is an innocent businessman, and wants him in Moscow. Experts say Bout has knowledge of Russia's military and intelligence operations and that Moscow does not want him going on trial in the US.
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