Bout`s lawyers have 30 days to lodge appeal within 2nd case

BANGKOK, October 5 (Itar-Tass) - The lawyers of Russian businessman
Viktor Bout have 30 days to lodge an appeal within the second case. During
this period, the Russian cannot be extradited to the United States, the
businessman's lawyer Lak Nittiwattanawichan told Itar-Tass.
"We filed a statement today regarding our intention to appeal the
criminal court's decision dated October 5," he said, "now we have 30 days
to submit the whole package of documents of the appeal."
This implies the businessman cannot be extradited to the USA until the
issue is settled, according to the lawyer.
Meanwhile, the businessman's wife Alla Bout urged the Rusian
authorities to "protect her husband from extradition to the United States."
"I am very much hoping that Russia would confirm its position on this
issue and protect its citizen, and may be the Thai Prime Minister would
still make a decision to the contrary and will not allow Viktor's
extradition to the USA. We have very few chances to change anything,
because we've been actually deprived of the opportunity to legally prove
in court the injustice of the extradition ruling made by the appeals
court," she said.
Lak Nittiwattanawichan confirmed to Itar-Tass that the Thai prime
minister would have the final say in the issue. At present, the prime
minister is on a visit to Brussels.
On Tuesday, Thailand's criminal court has dropped the second criminal
case against Russian citizen Viktor Bout removing the legal obstacles to
his extradition to the USA.
He was detained in Bangkok in March 2008, on U.S. extradition request.
The USA accuses the Russian businessman of illegal arms trade and other
crimes, such as the criminal collusion to supply arms to Colombia's
militants with the understanding that the weapons will be used to kill
U.S. officials and citizens.