An Austrian court has rejected the extradition of a prominent Ukrainian businessman to the U.S. to investigate bribery allegations, marking a decisive moment in a years-long legal battle. Prosecutors’ latest appeal was dismissed as “inadmissible,” making the ruling legally binding and final.
Dmytro Firtash—a former ally of ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych—is accused of paying bribes in India in 2006 to secure titanium mining licences, charges he denies. The tycoon claims the U.S. case is politically motivated due to his connections with Moscow.
The 60-year-old has built a vast business empire, Group DF, spanning energy, chemicals, media, banking, and real estate in Ukraine and several European countries.
Since 2014, Firtash has been effectively confined to Austria under an international arrest warrant issued by the U.S., but the court’s latest ruling allows him to move freely within the country.
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