Austrian court refuses to extradite Bakhmatiuk, businessman hopes for changes in NABU after new head begins work

The Vienna Court has refused to extradite Oleh Bakhmatiuk to Ukraine within the case of VAB Bank at the request of the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, the businessman himself told Interfax-Ukraine.

"The Austrian court, by its decision made in accordance with Parts 1 and 2 of Article 19 of the Austrian law on extradition and mutual legal assistance, not only recognized the demand of the Ukrainian prosecutor's office to extradite me illegal, but also called it unacceptable," said Bakhmatiuk.

He clarified that the hearing on the extradition case began at the end of last year, the final decision was made in January, the Austrian prosecutor's office refused to appeal, and the case came into force on February 6, and officially entered the Ukrainian prosecutor's office last week.

The businessman believes that this decision of the European court proves that the cases of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) opened against him have no real legal content, "except for a certain PR story."

Asked about the repeated request for his extradition in connection with the recent decision of the High Anti-Corruption Court on his arrest in absentia already in a new case – on the provision of unlawful benefits of UAH 722 million to the head of the State Fiscal Service in 2015-2016 – Bakhmatiuk allowed this development of events, including as a response to the loss in the first extradition case.

At the same time, he expressed confidence in the groundlessness of the accusations and in his correctness in this case as well.

Source: www.en.interfax.com.ua