Austrian court approves extradition of Ukrainian tycoon to U.S.: media

An Austria court Tuesday approved the extradition of Ukrainian tycoon Dmytro Firtash to the United States, local media reported.

The businessman, accused by the U.S. in 2013 of having paid bribes to Indian officials, was present at the Higher Regional Court in Vienna as the decision was handed down.

The extradition requires the final approval of Minister of Justice Wolfgang Brandstetter, who's expected to make his decision in two to three weeks at the earliest.

After the extradition ruling, the Ukrainian tycoon was arrested.

But according to the media reports, the arrest was made under a European arrest warrant and extradition request made by Spain in late 2016 on allegations of money laundering and involvement in organized criminal activity.

The U.S. lost its fight for Firtash's extradition in an Austrian court in 2015, when the allegations against Firtash were ruled by the court as politically motivated.

The legal representatives for the Ukrainian businessman argued that this is still this case.

They also questioned why the case is not being examined in India, where the bribes allegedly took place.

The Ukrainian billionaire is widely believed to have close links with ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, and is said to have close ties to Russia. Enditem