Lawyer Rubilar: Kyiv has not provided Argentina with grounds for Churkin’s extradition
Kyiv has not provided Argentina with information on the case of Russian citizen Igor Churkin, his lawyer Christian Rubilar stated.
He doubted that the court in Argentina would grant Ukraine’s request to extradite the defendant.
The deadline has long since expired, and Ukraine cannot explain why it considers itself competent to try him. It is predictable that the judge will refuse extradition
The lawyer clarified that since the process of transferring Churkin to Ukraine is technically not an extradition, but rather a restitution of a fugitive prisoner of war, Kyiv needs to provide an explanation of what it accuses the man of and whether this is a crime.
Rubilar added that the Russian is close to receiving Argentine citizenship, which may happen before the court makes a decision on extradition. Thus, the defendant may be tried in an Argentine court. The maximum sentence for the charges brought against Churkin in Argentine jurisdiction is one year.
Churkin applied for Argentine citizenship because his daughter was born in that country, the lawyer explained.
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In February, Churkin began applying for asylum
In February 2024, Igor Churkin began the process of obtaining asylum in Argentina, said Christian Rubilar. According to him, the Russian was granted a temporary residence permit in the country as a refugee.
His status still needs to be approved, it is not automatic. But until a decision is made, he is considered a refugee.
The head of the consular department of the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires, Natalia Pustovalova, clarified that on February 1, a preliminary court hearing was held, by decision of which Igor Churkin was released on bail.
The diplomat explained that the court must consider the case and decide whether to extradite the man to Ukraine or not. According to her, the Russian is accused of “deliberately making a false report of a criminal offense.” She added that the accused has an Argentine lawyer who has filed a petition for political asylum for the man.
It was also reported that Churkin, who was detained at the request of Ukraine, would appear before the asylum commission on February 23. At that time, his lawyer noted that if the decision of the body is positive, the extradition of the Russian to the territory of Ukraine will not take place.
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Ukraine accuses Russian of attempting to deceive business owner in republic
In early February 2024, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) of Ukraine reported the arrest of Churkin in Argentina. He arrived there for tourism purposes.
Argentine police made the arrest based on evidence collected by Kiev. The department claims that the detainee “tried to preserve assets in Ukraine at the expense of a state bank.” In July 2022, the Russian and his accomplice were charged. According to investigators, they tried to preserve the property of the Lviv Bus Plants enterprise in Lviv.
It was noted that the company took out a large loan from a state bank using property as collateral, but Churkin allegedly spent the funds at his own discretion and refused to return them, while wanting to preserve his company.
A company controlled by an oligarch’s son filed a knowingly false report with the police about a criminal offense committed by bank representatives
The owner of the organization was notified of suspicion of committing a crime under Article 383 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (“Knowingly false report of a criminal offense”). The director of the enterprise, who filed the complaint and was named as Churkin’s accomplice, was found guilty by the court. He was sentenced in absentia to two years of imprisonment.
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