Alexander Vinnik appeals French court verdict

The defence of Russian Alexander Vinnik, found by a French court to be guilty of money laundering, has filed an appeal. The Kommersant reports this«Ъ».

Lawyer Frédéric Belo questioned the verdict. According to him, Vinnik was the victim of his anonymous clients from the BTC-e bitcoin exchange:

«Mr. Vinnik was an ordinary salaried trader and did not participate, at least consciously, in any money-laundering operations».

Belo says the accusations against the Russian of involvement in a criminal organization are not normal:

«There is no criminal network consisting of a single person. But not a single name, even one allegedly belonging to that ‘network’, was named at the trial».

Vinnik’s defence stresses that the charges rest largely on documents provided by U.S. investigators.

Earlier, the Paris court sentenced Vinnik to five years in prison and a €100,000 fine.

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