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Bout will remain in custody in Thailand
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-12-23 14:30 BANGKOK, Thailand - A Thai court Tuesday delayed the extradition hearing of a Russian businessman dubbed the "Merchant of Death" and wanted in the US over arms smuggling allegations, after two key witnesses failed to show up.
The postponement until March 6 was the latest setback in a court process that stretches back to March of this year when Viktor Bout, accused of conspiring to arm Colombian rebels was nabbed at a Bangkok luxury hotel in a US sting operation. Lawyers for Bout, 41, requested the delay after two witnesses they described as high-level Thai navy officers could not appear because they were sick. Bout, who will remain in a Bangkok prison, showed no emotion when the new date was set. His mother, who was in the court with his wife, began crying. Bout, who was purportedly the model for the arms dealer portrayed by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 movie, "Lord of War" was arrested in March during a sting operation in which undercover US agents posed as rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym, FARC. The leftist group, which has been fighting Colombia's government for more than four decades, is listed by the US as a terror group. But testifying in court for the first time Monday, Bout said that he was set up by the Americans. "I never met anyone from FARC. I've never talked to anyone from FARC," Bout told the court. "I didn't do anything wrong in Thailand." The extradition hearing has drawn an unusually vigorous response from Russia, according to Douglas Farah, who wrote the 2007 book on Bout, "Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible." The co-author of the book, Stephen Braun, is an editor at the Washington bureau of The Associated Press. Farah said the Russian government has run sympathetic stories in government media about Bout and lobbied senior Thai officials for his release. Two officials from Russia's Embassy in Thailand were in court on Monday. The Duma, or lower house of parliament, has also issued a statement calling for him to be returned to Russia. "The Russians have made great efforts to get him out beyond what they would do for a normal Russian citizen," Farah said. "Over the years, he's been incredibly useful to the Russian intelligence apparatus particularly in delivering weapons to states such as Iran and their proxies in Lebanon." Farah said the Russian government is concerned that he could reveal details about his dealings with Moscow were he to be put on trial in the United States. "I think they would prefer to have him back in Moscow under their control than having him testify in open court in the United States," Farah said. Bout testified that he came to Bangkok "to relax" and meet with several Thai executives "who wanted to purchase airplanes." "I did not commit any terrorist acts," Bout said. Bout and his attorneys offered a list of reasons he should be set free: The arrest warrant was flawed. He committed no crime in Thailand. The United States had no business prosecuting him. He is a victim of worsening relations between the United States and Russia. Bout faces charges in the United States of conspiring to kill Americans, conspiring to kill US officers or employees, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile. He could face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted. |
