Bulgarian Court Refuses to Order Extradition of Russian-Armenian Woman Wanted by Russia

The Varna District Court refused the extradition of a 67-year-old woman with Russian and Armenian citizenship who is being investigated in the Russian Federation, the court’s press service said on Tuesday. Authorities in Russia are conducting criminal proceedings against her for organizing and leading a criminal group for property fraud and money laundering.

In December 2024, the District Court of Sochi declared the woman internationally wanted through Interpol. Earlier this month, the accused was detained in Varna. The Varna District Court ordered her to be placed under house arrest for a period of 40 days in order for the requesting country to send all the necessary documents for her extradition.

The panel of judges stated that as of March 16, 2022, the Russian Federation is no longer a member of the Council of Europe, which means that the European Court of Human Rights cannot monitor whether people’s rights are respected there. This circumstance is a legal prerequisite for the Varna District Court to refuse the extradition of the wanted woman and change her remand measure to a petition until the decision comes into force, the court’s press office said.