Viktor Bout
© EPA/NARONG SANGNAK
NEW YORK, February 22. /Offset. TASS Ivan sawyers/. Defense of Victor bout sent the documents to the U.S. Supreme court to undo the previously made in the case of Russia the verdict. About this TASS was reported by the attorney of bout, who is serving a prison sentence in the US, Alexey Tarasov.
“The case filed in the Supreme court of the United States,” he said. As said Tarasov, the documents were sent by priority mail from Houston (Texas). The Supreme court, which is located in Washington, will get them during the day.
The main argument
“The main thing in our petition is that the court of appeal and the district court in new York applied the wrong legal criteria to assess the presented facts that the new York public Prosecutor withheld from the defense evidence that was exculpatory, – said the lawyer. In this case they are fully justified Victor bout”.
As Tarasov explained, we are talking about information that the Briton Andrew Smulian, who was held as an accomplice of booth, was actually a secret agent of the American management on struggle against drug trafficking. This means that the Booth couldn’t join him in the conspiracy.
“The verdict against Viktor bout was unlawful,” the lawyer explained. In his opinion, “in connection with again opened circumstances “guilty” verdict should be abolished.”
“We are also talking about the fact that the case should be sent for retrial,” – said Tarasov.
“The court regarded the evidence presented to us just as the newly discovered materials, which were obtained from a neutral source. However, in fact these materials were known to the prosecution from the very beginning”, – said Tarasov.
He also added that the Prosecutor’s office is obliged by law to pass the protection of any information that even potentially has any exculpatory nature.
The chances are small, but there is
Tarasov recalled that the U.S. Supreme court takes on consideration a very small percentage of cases that it receives.
In the case that the paperwork involved is a lawyer, it is approximately 5%.
The defender explained that in the Supreme court there is no limit to the duration of the review petitions. Most often this process takes from one to three months.
Tarasov also said that the Prosecutor “may file objections” in connection with the directed protection of the documents.
25 years in prison
Bout was arrested in 2008 in Thailand’s capital on a warrant issued by a local court on request of the United States.
Against him charged with illegal arms shipments to the group the FARC, which is considered in the US as a terrorist organization.
In 2010, bout was extradited to the United States. In April 2012 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a fine of $15 million