ITALY/RUSSIA: ALIMZHAN TOKHTAKHOUNOV CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT BRIBERY BY FIXING FIGURE SKATING EVENTS AT THE 2002 WINTER OLYMPICS.

Record ID: 640521

  • Title: ITALY/RUSSIA: ALIMZHAN TOKHTAKHOUNOV CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT BRIBERY BY FIXING FIGURE SKATING EVENTS AT THE 2002 WINTER OLYMPICS.
  • Date: 26th August 2002
  • Summary: VENICE, ITALY (AUGUST 26, 2002) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) DEFENCE LAWYER LUCA SALDARELLI SAYING: "Tokhtakhounov is fine but becoming increasingly angry because after one month we have still not received the official documents related to his arrest." (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENCE LAWYER LUCA SALDARELLI SAYING: "I think we must wait for the official documents about the extradition procedure from the United States. We should receive these documents within forty days and then we will decide what will be our defence." VARIOUS VENICE
  • Embargoed: 10th September 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VENICE, ITALY AND FILE
  • City:
  • Country: Russian Federation Italy
  • Topics: General,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA1MDT7SZAP8E21VRJP51DSQHZV
  • Story Text: An Italian court is not due to meet until November to consider extraditing a Russian man accused of fixing figure skating events at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
    U.S. justice authorities plan to file papers with Italy in September seeking custody of Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, who was arrested by Venice police in July on a complaint filed by New York prosecutors.
    A U.S. grand jury has charged Tokhtakhounov on five counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery related to sporting contests.
    The first hearing is likely to be held at an appeals court in Venice in early November.
    Despite the delay, there was still a chance that Tokhtakhounov could be sent to the United States before the end of this year.
    The arrest of Tokhtakhounov, a Russian citizen born in Uzbekistan, stoked a controversy which erupted in February, prompting Olympic officials to take the unprecedented step of awarding a second set of gold medals to the Canadian runners up in the pairs skating event won by Russia.
    Prosecutors allege Tokhtakhounov and others had agreed that if a French judge voted for the Russians in the pairs event, the Russians would ensure the French ice dancing team won the gold medal in the dance competition.
    Tokhtakhounov's defence lawyer Luca Saldarelli, who says his client has protested his innocence, said he planned to challenge the U.S. extradition bid.
    "Tokhtakhounov is fine but becoming increasingly angry because after one month we have still not received the official documents related to his arrest," Saldarelli told Reuters Television.
    "I think we must wait for the official documents about the extradition procedure from the United States. We should receive these documents within forty days and then we will decide what will be our defence," he added.
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