“He did not violate the laws of Israel”: the issue of extradition of “hacker” Burkov to the US will be resolved within 60 days

The Israeli Supreme Court decided to extend the extradition process of the Russian "hacker" Alexei Burkov to the United States for another 60 days - until December 3, 2019. According to Israeli media reports, such a request was filed with the authorities late - later than the deadline set in the law on extradition of foreigners. Despite this, the request of the government was granted.

As RT reported, 29-year-old Alexei Burkov was arrested at the request of Interpol in Israel back in 2015. The US accuses the Russian of hacking and credit card fraud.

Extradition of Burkov is also required by Russia, where a criminal case of fraud has also been instituted against him. However, the RF request was never considered. After a lengthy trial in Israel, in August 2019, the country's Supreme Court ruled that Burkov could be extradited to the United States. However, the deportation decision was not implemented on time.

Burkova’s defense agreed with the Israeli authorities’s appeal to the court to extend the extradition of the Russian.

Thus, the Russian "hacker" can still be extradited to the United States if Israeli Justice Minister Amir Ohana signs the relevant decree before December 3.

Earlier, Ohana told reporters that she will make a decision “in the near future” on whether to sign the extradition order.

Burkova’s lawyer Michael Ironi in an interview with RT noted that extending the term for extradition as a whole is a standard procedure.

“Even if Minister Ohana signs the document today, the authorities will need some more time to physically send Burkova to America,” says Ironi.

"Hold" for sharing

At the same time, the interlocutor does not exclude that the extension may be connected with the desire of Israeli officials to “hold on” Burkov until Naama Issakhar, an Israeli and US citizen convicted of drug smuggling, is pardoned in Russia or the authorities of the two countries decide on humanitarian exchange of prisoners.

“At least I really hope that this will happen within these two months, and Burkov will return to Russia,” the Russian lawyer said.

Earlier, Ironi, as well as representatives of the Russian Embassy in Israel, explained that they intend to appeal the Minister’s decision to extradite Burkov to the United States, if one is adopted.

In turn, Issakhar’s lawyers, who had previously met with Ohana, said they would also challenge the decision to extradite Burkov if it was signed by the minister.

“Such statements really were made in the press, and this is very good news for us,” sums up Ironi.

Recall that Naama Issahar was found guilty of drug smuggling in Russia in September 2019 and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. In April 2019, the girl was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport, where customs officers found 9.6 grams of hash in her baggage. Issakhar pleaded not guilty. Her defense filed an appeal.

Extradition Possibility

It is worth noting that on October 22, Advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Bulstein said that the country's authorities would not discuss the exchange of Burkova for Issakhar. According to Bulstein, this issue is not in the competence of the government, since there is a decision of the Israeli Supreme Court on the extradition of the Russian to the United States.

“Even if the most powerful politician in Israel wants to carry out this exchange, nothing will come of it - there is a court decision on extradition. No one can call the Supreme Court and ask to resolve this issue, ”he said. - The only way out of the situation is if Russian President Vladimir Putin has mercy on Naama Issahar. "Netanyahu cannot be pardoned by a Russian, since he did not violate the laws of Israel and is not formally our prisoner."

Burkova’s lawyer claims that the arguments of Israeli officials are nothing more than a trick and manipulation of public opinion.

“The Supreme Court is considering the exclusively hypothetical possibility of extradition of a person - it is examining whether enough evidence has been provided by a country requiring extradition. But the decision on whether to extradite or not is made personally by the Minister of Justice. This is no longer connected with the accusations - this is politics, ”Ironi explains.

It is worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin recently discussed the fate of Issahar over the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had previously asked for the pardon of the girl. Assistant to the President of Russia, Yuri Ushakov, said that "this topic has been heard, and it has been touched upon to one degree or another."