Mr. Bitcoin on his way to the USA

Thriller about the fate of the Russian Alexander Vinik, also known as Mister Bitcoin, continued with a new turn. On August 4, five years after his arrest in Greece, Vinnik was sent by plane to the United States. It is assumed that he will go on an exchange, together with Viktor Bout, for US citizens captured by Russia – two mercenaries and a woman convicted of drug smuggling.

By media informationyesterday afternoon, a 43-year-old Russian was put on board a plane bound for the United States in the strictest secrecy, in accordance with the decision to extradite him, which was taken Supreme Court since 2017.

The United States accuses Vinick of laundering $4 billion, though he denies the allegations. Oleksandr Vinnik was sent to France in 2020, where he remained imprisoned until yesterday. The decision to extradite him on the basis of a European arrest warrant was taken on 19 December 2019 by the Minister of Justice Costas Tsiaras.

However, on August 3, 2022, the Board of Appeal in Paris decided to release him, successively clearing him of the charges against him in France. His lawyer, Zoe Konstantinopoulou, described the release of the 43-year-old woman as virtual, which she was waiting for yesterday afternoon to arrive on a plane to Greece, and the police department “El. Venizelos.”

However, in the evening, in response to relevant edition question cathimerini, Department of Civil Protection and Police sources confirmed that Vinick is on board a plane bound for the United States pursuant to his extradition order. According to the US extradition request, Vinik allegedly operated the BTC-e digital currency exchange platform and is accused by the US of laundering $4 billion. All these years, he claims that he was never the manager or founder of a particular exchange. Russia is also seeking his extradition for crimes related to cyberspace. Vinick also did not accept these accusations, but agreed to be extradited to his homeland, where, according to him, a fair trial awaits him. “Extradition to France means extradition to the USA. It’s an American ploy.” Vinnik said. in December 2018, minutes after the announcement of the Supreme Court’s decision on France’s request.

Zoya Konstantinopoulou’s lawyer their statements described the case as “a perennial judicial, diplomatic, intergovernmental and humanitarian scandal”. She added that the US activated an earlier extradition request it filed with France in 2020 to take the wanted man directly from French territory, and according to Vinick’s complaints, he has been subjected to grueling treatment over the years.

In an attempt to prevent his extradition, Vinik submitted two asylum applications to Greece, the first in September 2019 and the second in July 2022, which were not considered, and a few days ago Ms. his extradition dated 2017, clearly not precluding his extradition to the United States. Vinik has two sons, aged 11 and 8 today, and in November 2020, his wife Alexandra died of cancer at the age of 34.

It is possible that the US without obtaining consent to the exchange of US citizens: mercenaries Alexander Druke and Andy Winh detainees near Kharkov and convicted of drug smuggling Britney Griner, on Victor Bout, who is in an American prison, thus want to use Alexander Vinnik as 2 people for an exchange.

According to unverified information from A.N., Vinnik may have one of the parts of the code that is encrypted to access a large amount of money in Bitcoins, we are talking about billions of US dollars. Persons interested in receiving this amount in the US already have access to 2 other parts of this code, and it remains to “persuade” Vinnik to give the missing code.

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