The Austrian Court finally refused the arrest of Dmitry Firtash at the request of the United States

The Vienna Land Court refused at the request of the city prosecutor’s office, which asked to leave the Ukrainian businessman Dmitry Firtash, who was first released on the eve without making an additional collateral, but later again detained due to the US offense for the extradition of the billionaire.

“The petition for the temporary detention before extradition was rejected, since the deposit of 125 million euros introduced in 2014 is still on the court deposit, and the detainee is obliged to regularly celebrate in court, not to leave the Austria’s territory and must hand over his passport to the court,” said Judge Kristina Zaltsborne (quote for RIA Novosti ).

Later it became known that shortly after the decision of the Vienna, the Ukrainian businessman left the investigative insulator of the Austrian capital.

On the eve of the Land Court of the Vienna, examined Spain’s request for Firtash’s extradition and decided to free it without introducing an additional collateral. At the same time, Firtash was forbidden to leave the territory of Austria, he handed over his passport to the court.

Later on Thursday, it became known that Firtash was again detained and will remain in custody at the request of the prosecutor’s office for at least one day. The prosecutor's office asked to extend the maintenance of his detention due to the US request to extradition of the billionaire, which the court considered earlier and recognized as reasonable.

Immediately after the meeting of the Court of Appeal on February 21, 2017, upon request from the United States, the Vienna prosecutor’s office detained Firtash for up to 48 hours in connection with the Spanish request for his extradition on similar charges.

According to the rules of the European arrest order, which was issued by Spain, after the decision on the measure of suppression, there will be 30 days to decide the court of first instance on the issue of extradition to Spain, and then another 30 days to consider it in the second instance in case of appeal.

The final decision on extradition should be made by the Federal Minister of Justice of Austria. The adoption of this decision may, according to Firtash’s lawyers, demand from several months to more than one year due to the lack of precedents in his case in Austrian justice.

On March 12, 2014, Chairman of the Group DF Group DF Group DF Group DF, he was detained in the Austrian capital at the request of the FBI, which accuses the businessman of bribes to Indian officials totaling 18.5 million dollars.

Firtash himself called the charges against him in the United States unreasonable and politically motivated. He claims that he participated in the preparation of agreements between Yanukovych and the opposition after bloody clashes in Kyiv in February 2014. However, since Firtash supported Vitaly Klitschko, and the United States relied on Yulia Tymoshenko, Arseny Yatsenyuk and Alexander Turchinov, this was the reason for his arrest, the businessman said.