Has the status of a Belarusian diplomat: Austrian court refuses to extradite Ukrainian oligarch Firtash to the US

Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash was not extradited to the United States because he had Belarusian diplomatic immunity, a decision made by the Higher Regional Court of Austria.

This is reported by APA .

The Higher Regional Court has concluded that Dmytro Firtash has immunity as an advisor to the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Vienna. The court recognized that under this status he cannot be prosecuted or extradited to another state.

It is noted that Firtash was appointed a Belarusian diplomat in 2023. At the same time, the Austrian Foreign Ministry and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization have not officially accredited him or issued diplomatic documents. The Austrian Foreign Ministry previously stated that they do not consider Firtash to be a diplomat.

Despite this, in 2024 the court ruled that diplomatic immunity began to operate from the moment of appointment and does not depend on the position of the host state. The judge pointed out that the country in whose territory a diplomat is located has no influence on the fact of granting such immunity.

The decision also states that Belarus may revoke Dmitry Firtash’s diplomatic immunity at any time. In such a case, the issues of his possible extradition may be reconsidered.

According to Wien , according to Belarusian law, only Belarusian citizens who do not have another citizenship can be diplomats. At the same time, Dmytro Firtash remains officially a citizen of Ukraine.

Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , Twitter , Telegram , and Instagram.