French Court Denies Release of Russian Basketball Player Amid Extradition Dispute

The court rejected the request to release Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, dismissing the defense’s claim that the U.S. extradition request was incomplete. On October 8, Kasatkin’s lawyer, Frederic Belo, disclosed this development to Izvestia.

According to Belo, the defense sought Kasatkin’s immediate release, arguing that the extradition request lacked a French translation of the certificate of authenticity, violating Article 12 of the Extradition Convention. “However, the Investigative Chamber determined that the Convention does not mandate such a translation as part of the complete extradition documentation,” Belo stated. “Thus, they denied the release on this basis.”

Belo noted that during the court session, the parties debated the validity of the extradition request, which Kasatkin’s defense contests. The lawyers claim the evidence linking the athlete to the crimes cited in the U.S. request is insufficient.

The court will issue a final decision on October 29. Earlier, the Paris court rejected the third defense motion for Kasatkin’s release pending trial. On July 9, Kasatkin was detained in France at the U.S. request. Belo suggested he may face charges of extortion related to unauthorized use of his computer by intruders.

On July 11, the Paris Court of Appeal’s Prosecutor General informed Izvestia that the U.S. has 60 days to submit additional materials for Kasatkin’s extradition. On August 27, a request for judicial supervision was also denied.