Lawyers for Ukrainian oligarch lament extradition ruling

WASHINGTON – Lawyers for a Ukrainian oligarch say they’re disappointed that an Austrian court has ruled him eligible for extradition to the United States in a bribery case.

Austria’s Supreme Court of Justice said Dymitro Firtash can be sent to the U.S. in connection with an alleged conspiracy to pay bribes in India to mine titanium.

Firtash’s U.S. lawyers, Dan Webb and Lanny Davis, said in a statement Wednesday that they were disappointed by the ruling, and insisted Firtash had no knowledge of the bribery scheme.

The case took on added prominence because of Firtash’s alleged connections to President Donald Trump’s disgraced ex-campaign manager, Paul Manafort, who once pursued a business deal with Firtash that never materialized.

Austria’s justice minister is expected to decide within weeks whether the extradition can proceed.