ROME: Bologna’s Court of Appeal has ruled to extradite Ukrainian national Sergey Kuznetsov to Germany over his suspected role in the Nord S...
ROME: Bologna’s Court of Appeal has ruled to extradite Ukrainian national Sergey Kuznetsov to Germany over his suspected role in the Nord Stream blasts, the man’s lawyer Nicola Canestrini said.
"The defense of former Ukrainian officer Sergey Kuznetsov announces that today the Bologna Court of Appeal has ruled to extradite him to Germany pursuant to the European arrest warrant issued by Germany," he said.
According to Canestrini, the defense will challenge the ruling with the Court of Cassation. "The defense reiterates that it will not put up with the situation until the judge considers all the aspects of international law and basic rights under the case," he said, adding that serious procedural violations were committed during the investigation, which "call into question its legitimacy and compliance with the principles of due course of law." In his words, hearings on the appeal will take place in about a month and Kuznetsov will remain in Italy during this period.
Earlier, the Court of Cassation turned down the initial decision on Kuznetsov’s extradition and ruled to hold another hearing.
Kuznetsov was detained in Italy overnight on August 21 under a German arrest warrant. An Italian court ruled that he should remain in custody while the extradition request is being considered to prevent his potential flight from the country.
According to the German mass media, Kuznetsov is believed to be the leader of a group of saboteurs numbering seven people who blew up underwater sections of the pipelines. Concurrently, Germany sought extradition of another suspect, also a Ukrainian national, who was detained in Poland. A Warsaw court refused to extradite him, and Canestrini appears to want to use this precedent.
In Germany, this crime - an anti-constitutional act of sabotage - is punishable by 15 years in prison.
On September 26, 2022, three strings of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipelines sustained severe damage. The latter had not yet been put into operation. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has opened an investigation into an act of international terrorism.
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