Earlier it was reported that Transparency and Human Rights, and the Greek Ministry of Justice, have put their decision to extradite the Russian crypto criminal to France this month. At that time, the Russian Embassy showed its displeasure at the Greek government’s decision to overlook Russia’s request to extradite Vinnik to his home country due to his ill health condition. The ministry’s decision to extradite Vinnik had reportedly made him begin another hunger strike, leading his lawyer Zoe Costantopoulou to describe the decision equivalent to the death sentence.
Vinnik is the mastermind behind the international money laundering scheme worth $4 billion, and he used cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e. Earlier in 2017, Vinnik had openly declared himself innocent and revealed that he had also served as a digital technology specialist to help Russian President Vladimir Putin with crypto services.
According to a report, in July, prosecutors from America registered a complaint against Vinnik. Over time, France, the United States and Russia had made multiple requests for Vinnik’s extradition, altering the matter in a conflict over a strategic intelligence asset between Russia and the U.S.A. The Greek Ministry of Justice’s decision had earlier noted that the second extradition destination for the Russian crypto criminal should be the U.S.A., and then Russia after the proceedings against him get completed in France.