US, Russia in extradition tug-of-war over bitcoin fraud suspect in Greece
A Bitcoin and Dollar notes are seen in this illustration picture
Alexander Vinnik, the?suspected mastermind of a $4 billion?bitcoin?laundering ring, is one of seven Russians arrested or indicted worldwide this year on US?cybercrime charges
A Greek court on Wednesday backed theextraditionto Moscow of a Russian citizen who also faces being sent to the United States on allegations of laundering billions of dollars inbitcoin.
Alexander Vinnik, thesuspected mastermind of a $4 billionbitcoinlaundering ring, is one of seven Russians arrested or indicted worldwide this year on UScybercrime charges.
Judges ruled last week that he should be extradited to the United States, a decisionRussia criticised as unjust and illegal and which Vinnik is challenging atGreece's supreme court.
Should it decide to uphold the ruling to extradite him to the United States, the final decision is in the hands ofGreece's justice minister, who can approveextraditionto one country and block the other.
Vinnik denies all charges against him. But he has agreed to be returned toRussiawhere he is to be tried on lesserfraudcharges.
"That is his wish - to be extradited toRussiaand to give his account before theRussian judicial authorities," Alexandros Lykourezos, the lawyer leading Vinnik's defence, told reporters after the ruling in Thessaloniki.
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In the United States, where he faces up to 55 years in prison, Vinnik is accused of running BTC-e, a digital currency exchangeused to tradebitcoin-- to facilitate crimes ranging from computer hacking to drug trafficking since 2011.
He has told Greek judges that he was a technical consultant to BTC-e and not its operator.
Vinnik was arrested while on holiday in a seaside village inGreece in July.Russiathen sought his extraditionas it has done with other nationals wanted by the United States.
The supreme court hearing is expected within the next three weeks, Lykourezos said.