A battle of political dimensions, related to the US sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, has been taking place in Cyprus since last August. The latest development in the saga played out last Thursday in the Court of Appeal, and there will be a sequel in the Supreme Court.
At the center of the case is the businessman, who holds Russian and German citizenship, Artur Petrov. The latter had been arrested by the Cyprus police since last August at the request of the US law enforcement authorities and a legal battle has been going on since then over whether or not to extradite him.
The US alleges that Petrov has committed seven offenses between February 2022 and August 2023 and more specifically that he was involved in supplying microelectronic components, with which allegedly end-users intended to power Russia’s war machine, namely to support the military invasion of Ukraine.
Something he rejects. According to the Americans, Petrov has always pretended falsely that the components in question are intended for commercial use in the markets of Cyprus, Latvia, and Tajikistan.
The Larnaca District Court rejected the issuance of his petition, upholding the objection raised before it by the businessman’s lawyer, Ilias Stefanou. The latter’s legal argument, which was accepted at first instance, is based on a decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (Petruhhin case), namely that an EU Member State faced with an extradition request from a third country concerning a citizen of another EU Member State is obliged to initiate a consultation procedure with the Member State of the nationality of the EU citizen, in this case, Germany. Petrov, as we noted, also has German citizenship. However, the legal battles were to continue. The Prosecutor General appealed the decision and last Thursday the appellate court overturned the first instance decision, giving the green light for his extradition.
This verdict is bound to be appealed by his lawyer Ilias Stefanou. Initially, the latter will apply for a request to appeal to the Supreme Court, setting out the grounds on which he is challenging the Court of Appeal’s decision. If and when his request is granted then the third-tier judicial body with a 5-member composition will examine the application.
International Implications
The case may not have reached a high profile in Cyprus, however, it is approached as an issue with political dimensions. The close coverage by the Russian news agency TASS, which is reporting on all developments, focusing also on the political aspect of the whole case, is indicative.
