Court in the Bahamas refuses to extradite Victor Kozeny to USA

At the end of January a Bahamian court rejected a request by the USA to extradite Czech-born financier Viktor Kozeny who is charged in the USA with bribery and money laundering,
lawyers for the US Department of Justice were appeallaing a prior order denying extradition in 2007. After that order of denial of extradition Mr. Kozeny was released, although he had been in custody for two years on the basis of the USA extradition warrant.

Acording the USA Department of Justice, Mr. Kozeny is suspected in a scheme to bribe oil industry officials. This bribery scheme then led to USA investors losing some 350 million dollars.

Mr. Kozeny has maintained his innocence and has alleged insufficiency of evidence to extradite him. Mr. Kozeny, now an Irish citizen, is also wanted by the Czech law enforcement bodies on suspicion of vast economic crime. Czech authorities, too, have unsuccessfully asked the Bahamas for Kozeny's extradition in connection with embezzelment charges in that country.