Alexander Vinnik’s case transferred to a French correctional court

A French judge has transferred the case of Alexander Vinnik to the correctional court, confirmed by his Russian lawyer Frédéric Belo. TASS reported.

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As reported earlier, the first hearing was due to take place on September 14, but the defence is still awaiting confirmation of this information.

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It will also be decided whether the hearing will address the merits or whether it will be devoted to procedural questions, Belo said.

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According to the lawyer, Vinnik faces 14 charges. Among them are extortion, money laundering, involvement in an organised crime group, illegal access to all parts of data processing systems and a number of others.

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Belo said that Vinnik himself never intended to commit any crime and regards himself as a “victim,” since he was merely a simple operator in these actions.

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“Vinnik is by no means the ‘brains’ of the criminal operation, as the American justice system portrays him in its charges. Moreover, he never received any of the money that was obtained during these operations. He merely received a salary,” the lawyer stressed.

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Earlier this year, Alexander Vinnik was extradited to France. He has remained in custody despite several requests for his release and transfer to house arrest.

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