The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation

Interfax: Yesterday the mass media reported that French lawyers of the former owner of Kazakhstan BTA Bank Mukhtar Ablyazov would in the near future lodge an appeal against judgment of the Court of Appeal in Aix-en-Provence on his extradition to Russia. Did you participate in this judicial process? 

Grunis: Yes, I participated in this process as a representative of the Russian Federation as the requesting state. I appeared before the court, answered its questions, as well as questions of Ablyazov's lawyers. 

Interfax: What did you say in you speech and in what language? 

Grunis: I pleaded the court in French. I explained in detail Ablyazov's mechanism of committing crimes of quiet sophisticated character, how his actions caused harm to the victim. I disclosed to the court the information about judgments, delivered against Ablyazov's accomplices in Russia. I showed that there is no politics in his prosecution. I explained to the court that in case of extradition, universally recognized human rights and freedoms would be respected for Ablyazov. I explained provisions of Russian criminal, criminal procedure and criminal and penal legislation, as well as peculiarities of their application. 

Interfax: Were you the only person who addressed the court on the part of Russia? Did anybody else attend it, for example, a crime investigator? 

Grunis: No, the court asked only me. The representative of the Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, who investigates the criminal case against Ablyazov, also was present in the courtroom. He helped me, but he wasn't a representative of the Russian Federation and that's why he neither pleaded the court nor answered questions. 

Interfax: Did anybody else plead the court? 

Grunis: Advocate-general (Deputy Prosecutor General) of the Court of Appeal. She confirmed that request of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation on extradition is fully grounded, that Russian law enforcement bodies accused Ablyazov of committing actions, which also considered to be enormous offences in France. Moreover, in her speech she stated that Mr. Ablyazov as an oligarch could buy everything, he could finance opposition political parties, create a committee consisting of international human rights organizations for his defense, but he could not buy French justice system. As the result the court considered the request of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation on extradition of Ablyazov to be grounded. 

Interfax: One week later the same court considered the request on extradition of Kuznetsov to Russia and the request was also satisfied. 

Grunis: Yes, indeed. One week later court hearings on the request for Kuznetsov's extradition took place. At the court hearing Russia was represented by Prosecutor of International Cooperation Department for Major Cases of the Office of International Legal Cooperation Sokolova Asya Aleksandrovna. Pleading the court, she consistently refuted arguments of Kuznetsov and his lawyers concerning political nature of his prosecution. She provided concrete evidence of Kuznetsov's committing common crimes. She provided information that his criminal activities are investigated not only in Russia, but also by the competent authorities of other states, with which the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation closely collaborated. Furthermore, attention of the French justice system was paid to an unjust enrichment of Kuznetsov and his ex-wife Bulakh, who only in France owned immovable property, value of which exceeded incomes, which had been officially declared by them. As the result, the court declared that position of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation was more grounded and convincing. 

Interfax: Can we say that there is certain regularity? 

Grunis: In my opinion, a positive trend is evident. In both cases we talk about economically complicated crimes, about damage in the billions. Both defendants have previously occupied senior state offices. They don't lack money, they hire expensive and highly qualified lawyers in France, try to create a negative informational background for our actions aimed at bringing them to trial in Russia. Despite this, the French court supported us in both cases. It is possible due to the fact that management of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation paid special attention to international cooperation and actively participated in it. Established contacts allows us to overcome existing barriers - difference in legal systems and traditions, linguistic differences, certain prejudice to actions of each other, roots of which fall in history of relations between states and nations. Our interaction with French and other foreign colleagues grows strong day by day. The best illustration for this can be the fact that during hearing for extradition of Kuznetsov the French prosecutor stated in her speech that the south of France had become an asylum for people, who illegally enriched in Russia, and their reference to politically motivated prosecutions had become the most common argument against extradition. 

Interfax: And why did you and your subordinates participate in these processes? 

Grunis: The point is that the department, headed by me, is the International Cooperation Department for Major Cases which deals with extradition and provision of legal assistance in criminal cases, which are pending by the central apparatus of Russian investigative bodies. Thus, we cooperate with the competent authorities of foreign countries in major criminal cases. 

Interfax: And how many cases are there? 

Grunis: More than two hundred. We cooperate on these matters with our foreign colleagues on all the continents. We participate in consideration of our requests on extradition and provision of legal assistance, provide consultations and hold meetings on issues, associated with their execution. We ensure execution of foreign requests on provision of legal assistance in cases, associated with our criminal cases.