Viktor Bout: the story of the ‘Merchant of Death’
It was actually, really, quite a surprise. After all the wrangling, the endless conspiracy theories, and the melodrama, it seems like Viktor Bout – the man who’s been dubbed the world’s biggest arms dealer, the Merchant of Death – is going America to face trial.
It’s been two and a half years since Viktor Bout was arrested in a Bangkok hotel in what you can only describe as a pretty heavily contrived sting operation. The American Drug Enforcement Agency had found a former colleague of Bout’s and got him to introduce to the alleged arms dealer some men pretending to work for the Colombian rebel group FARC – deemed a terrorist outfit by the US.
They met in a hotel and the Thai police swooped. Then began the extradition battle. Thailand and America have a very chummy extradition treaty which does not require that America proves the merit of the charges it wants someone to face. It simply has to prove that there are charges for him to face.
But still, Russia pulled out all the stops to help a man who has become, in parts of Russian society, a wronged international businessman. A victim of his own mythology and American meddling. The whipping boy for America in a globalised world in which someone needs to be blamed for flow of arms.
There is another take on Bout though – that he’s a man who sold arms to al-Qaeda, former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor, to Congolese warlords… just about anyone it’s reprehensible to sell arms to.
He denies all that, but has always kept the suspicions alive by admitting to working for people and in places that make the harsher accusations more sound plausible than if he claimed he was simply a textile merchant born in Tajikistan.
He told me once, for instance, that his planes did make legal arms shipments for the Northern Alliance government during Afghanistan’s “Nineties Civil War”. He told me he was close personal friends with Jean Pierre Bemba, a former Congolese leader now facing war crimes charges in The Hague.
But still, as the speculation raged, the court appearances dragged on. The judges kept kicking the ball into the long grass – delaying the next date for a decision on the extradition request, and then allowing the Americans to appeal the first court decision that the extradition request was political in nature.
I personally began to feel that the best solution for the Thai government – caught between the Americans and the Russians – was to keep him in custody, to not let a decision happen. After all, on paper, what’s the PR difference between a two and a half year process and a five year one?
But today something close to a final result was given. America’s appeal of the last verdict was granted. The appeal court ruled the extradition was not political and should go ahead.
There are two complicating factors.
As perhaps a failsafe, the Americans lodged this morning another extradition request about new charges they’ve lodged against Bout since he was first arrested. These concern money laundering and fraud. The judge said these charges must be dealt with in three months or else Bout will go free.
But, as the Americans seem to now have their man, it’s widely thought they will now drop these charges in Thailand and press for his swift passage to the States where he’ll soon appear in a New York federal court.
Another possible hiccup comes if the Thai government decides it does not want to let the extradition happen for political reasons. Many observers think that, given the political sensitivities of the case were probably debated before the verdict was given, it’s unlikely the Thai government would want to be seen overruling one of its own courts in favour of an alleged arms dealer and against its main regional ally, America.
So there we have it. Bout and his wife Alla looked shattered. Beaten almost. They will fight on, but it seems like this chapter of the epic story of Viktor Bout is over for now.
There are 8 comments on this post
[...] Телеканал Channel-4 (Англия): «Бут — это человек, который продавал оружие Аль-Кайде». [...]
I must say, as much as I enjoyed reading what you had to say, I couldnt help but lose interest after a while. Its as if you had a wonderful grasp around the topic matter, but you forgot to include your readers. Perhaps you should think about this from much more than one angle. Or maybe you shouldnt generalise so significantly. Its better if you think about what others may have to say instead of just going for a gut reaction to the topic. Think about adjusting your own believed process and giving others who may read this the benefit of the doubt.
Youre so right. Im there with you. Your weblog is unquestionably worth a read if anyone comes across it. Im lucky I did because now Ive acquired a whole new view of this. I didnt realise that this issue was so important and so universal. You certainly put it in perspective for me.
I don’t think we will ever know ‘the truth’ behind this case. We can debate and discuss facts, opinions and anomalies such as why the DEA were the main (at least overtly) government agency investigating Victor Bout (you will find one on this lawyers in Thailand website but it really is going to remain a mystery. For many people an emotional viewpoint is likely to cloud whatever truth there may be, typically a love or hatred of America in particular.
Equally we can then enter a debate on whether it is ethical for America to use their power to attain a fugitive when arguably the ends (whatever that is exactly) justify the means. Or the huge amount of US taxpayers money going into his extradition. At the very least it goes to show the power of the US and possibly its ability to rule law over and above any other given country or even countries. And that is another question altogether.
Unquestionably believe that that you said. Your favorite reason appeared to be on the internet the simplest factor to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed at the same time as people think about issues that they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and outlined out the whole thing without having side effect , people could take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks!
Don’t go through life, grow through life. -Eric Butterworth
Horace Walpole~ The world is a tragedy to those who feel but a comedy to those who think.
John Milton~ None can love freedom heartily but good men the rest love not freedom but license.