Alleged Russian arms smuggler fights against extradition
(17 Mar 2009) SHOTLIST 1. Prison bus arriving 2. Security guards 3. Alleged Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout getting off prison bus 4. Bout walking to detention area 5. Bout walking inside detention area 6. Photographers outside detention area 7. Bout seated 8. Bout 9. Bout's legs shackled with chains 10. Other prisoners 11. Bout's wife, Alla, walking 12. Bout speaking to wife Alla 13. Zoom into Alla Bout outside courtroom 14. Bout escorted to court room by security guards 15. Policemen outside courtroom in which Victor Bout is fighting extradition to the United States 16. Two officials outside courtroom 17. Bout's lawyer, Lak Nitiwatanavichan, walks along corridor outside courtroom 18. SOUNDBITE (Thai) Lak Nitiwatanavichan, Lawyer for Victor Bout: "I want to prove that Victor Bout is innocent in this case." 19. Victor Bout is led from courtroom 20. Bout walks away from camera STORYLINE Alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was back in a Bangkok criminal court on Tuesday for an extradition hearing. Bout, a multilingual 42-year old former Soviet air force officer, has been jailed in Thailand since his arrest in Bangkok a year ago, accused of conspiring to arm Colombian rebels. Bout, thought to be the world's most notorious arms dealer, has said his arrest in Bangkok was a result of a "frame-up by US intelligence." In court, Bout claimed he ran a legitimate air cargo business and was in Bangkok to discuss selling airplanes to Thai businessmen. His wife Alla Bout testified in court on Tuesday, supporting her husband's claim that he is an "honest" businessman who ran a legitimate air cargo business. In a hearing last week, the judge said that he is seeking input from the Thai Foreign Ministry because relations with Washington and Moscow could be at risk. The United States wants Bout tried in New York. Russia has called the effort to extradite Bout "bewildering" and US lawmakers have accused Moscow of trying to have Bout handed over to Russian custody, raising the possibility he could avoid trial in the United States. The US is seeking Bout's extradition on charges he conspired to sell (m) millions of dollars worth of weapons, including 100 surface-to-air missiles and armour-piercing rockets, to leftist rebels in Colombia. Bout has repeatedly denied any involvement in illicit activities and has never been prosecuted, despite being the subject of United Nations sanctions, a Belgian money-laundering indictment and a travel ban. If convicted, he would face up to life in prison. Bout was arrested in March 2008 during a sting operation in Thailand in which undercover US agents posed as rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. US prosecutors say Bout was offering a deadly arsenal of weapons, including more than 700 surface-to-air missiles, thousands of guns, high-tech helicopters, and airplanes outfitted with grenade launchers and missiles. He has been indicted on four "terrorism" related charges in New York, and could face a maximum penalty of life in prison if extradited. His extradition hearing, which started last June, has been repeatedly postponed by a shifting cast of attorneys and defence witnesses who have failed to appear. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
