Austria approves extradition of Ukrainian oligarch tied to Trump campaign aides (WaPo)

[Amaryllis]

n a dramatic decision Tuesday, an Austrian court approved the extradition to the United States of a Ukrainian oligarch with ties to a senior Trump adviser on corruption charges.

Dmytro Firtash, a billionaire who made a fortune as a middleman in Ukraine’s rough-and-tumble gas industry, has been indicted by U.S. prosecutors in connection with allegedly bribing Indian officials to secure a titanium deal. An extradition request in 2015 had been denied by a Viennese court, which called the U.S. allegations “politically motivated.” The final decision to send Firtash to the United States will be made by the Austrian Ministry of Justice.

Firtash wielded significant political power in Ukraine under former president Viktor Yanukovych, who was overthrown amid street protests in 2014. Firtash was arrested in Vienna on an FBI warrant just weeks after Yanukovych fled to Russia and was succeeded by a vocally pro-Western government. Firtash’s lawyers say that he is being targeted by the United States as part of a political inquisition against Yanukovych’s former political allies.


The criminal investigation was initiated under the Obama administration. Firtash had previously weighed teaming up with American investors and political strategist Paul Manafort, who managed Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, to buy high-end real estate in the United States, including the famous Drake Hotel in New York. No deals were completed, and Firtash has denied that he invested in the project.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/austria-approves-extradition-of-ukrainian-oligarch-tied-to-trump-campaign-aides/2017/02/21/13c71542-f83d-11e6-aa1e-5f735ee31334_story.html?utm_term=.bbad6d0a88c0

More on Firtash here:

Rachel last night did fantastic job of unpacking the complexity:
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/pursuit-of-shady-oligarch-a-test-of-doj-integrity-under-trump-881324611851

And this:
http://citizenslant.com/understanding-trump-russia-web/
Understanding the Increasingly Tangled Web of Ties Between the Trump Camp and Russia

[pkdu]

1. this was on Rachel's show last night...ball is now with "Evil Pixie" Sessions

...keep watching this space.

[nycbos]

2. But but but

DU told me that DU told me this guy was kicked out in a coup and Russia was okay doing what they were doing to Ukraine. I remember all the RT stuff posted.


I am glad people know are able to see through the bull shit.

[dhol82]

3. Wonder if he might have a 'unfortunate incident' prior to arrival in the US?

[stollen]

4. Will Sessions recuse himself?