Houston lawyer Alexey Tarasov expressed hope that the high-level meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin would positively impact the cases of Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko.
During the G20 summit in Hamburg, President Putin and Trump held a discussion that extended far beyond the initially planned 30 minutes, lasting two hours and 20 minutes. The meeting, conducted in room No. 14 of the Congress Center, designated for these two world leaders, was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and interpreters.
Among various subjects, the Presidents discussed the situations of Russian citizens Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko. Both of these Russian nationals are represented by Houston-based lawyer Alexey Tarasov. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, commenting on the discussions, expressed hope for a favorable decision by the United States.
Viktor Bout, a Russian businessman, received a 25-year prison sentence in 2012 from U.S. courts for attempted illegal arms trafficking and supporting terrorism. He is currently incarcerated at a prison in Illinois and has consistently denied his guilt. Attorney Alexey Tarasov has argued in court that Bout did not engage in a criminal conspiracy, emphasizing that Bout’s supposed accomplice was an undercover agent.
Konstantin Yaroshenko, sentenced to 20 years for conspiracy to smuggle drugs, was convicted by a U.S. court on September 7, 2011. He was apprehended in Liberia on May 28, 2010, and subsequently brought to the United States. Yaroshenko was apprehended by undercover agents of the U.S. Federal Drug Enforcement Administration for an alleged conspiracy to transport a thousand-ton quantity of cocaine. This instance marked the first occasion of American services capturing a Russian citizen in a third country and covertly extraditing him to the U.S.
Following proceedings in the New York Court of Appeals, lawyer Alexey Tarasov stated, “The evidence we presented supports all three grounds for the U.S. court’s relinquishing jurisdiction: kidnapping, torture, and violation of international law. Furthermore, the evidence clearly indicates that Yaroshenko’s abduction and torture involved direct participation of American officials.”
Tarasov is optimistic that the discussion between President Putin and Trump could aid in the return of Bout and Yaroshenko to Russia. “We welcome this development; it brings attention to the significance of Viktor Bout’s and Konstantin Yaroshenko’s cases and the broader issues they present,” the lawyer noted.
Source “Russian Houston Today” on June 26, 2017
