Bangkok - Thai authorities on Wednesday were finalizing legal procedures to extradite suspected arms dealer Viktor Bout to the US where he faces charges of selling weapons to terrorists.
A US Marshals jet arrived at Bangkok's Don Mueang Military Airport Tuesday evening, fueling reports that Bout's extradition was imminent.
But his departure was stalled by the legal process. A Bangkok appeals court ruled Friday that Russian national Bout, dubbed the Merchant of Death by his critics, must be extradited within three months.
On the same day, however, prosecutors had submitted a new case against Bout for money laundering, fraud and violations of sanctions which was accepted by the Bangkok Criminal Court.
"Before Bout's extradition can take place, the second case needs to be dropped by the court," Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said.
The US informed the Foreign Ministry of its decision to revoke the second case Tuesday night. The court was expected to drop the case Wednesday, paving the way for Bout's extradition. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters that it was unlikely the legal requirements could be met in time to extradite Bout by Wednesday.
"I guarantee that this is in accordance with legal procedures," said Sirisak Tiyapan, the director general of the attorney general's international affairs department. "There is no political interference involved."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has reportedly vowed to do whatever he can to block Bout's extradition to the US.
Bout, 44, was arrested in Bangkok in March 2008, when he was caught in a sting operation led by US agents who posed as arms buyers for a leftist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
He was indicted in the US for attempting to sell weapons to a terrorist group and Washington sought his extradition.
Bangkok Criminal Court last year rejected the extradition request, claiming Thailand deemed FARC a political group, not terrorists, and Thai law prohibits extradition for political offences.
Prosecutors appealed the verdict and the Bangkok Appeal Court ruled on Friday that Bout had engaged in criminal activities and thus should be extradited.