Court in Sweden keeps ex-lawmaker Sviatash in custody – 'Schemes'
The Attunda District Court in Sweden has upheld the detention of former Ukrainian MP Dmytro Sviatash.
Sweden's Attunda District Court has maintained the pretrial detention of former Ukrainian MP Dmytro Sviatash, as requested by Ukraine in compliance with Swedish extradition law. The prosecutor sought confirmation of Sviatash's detention, citing a series of alleged crimes committed in Ukraine between 2008 and 2018. Sviatash, who was present at the hearing, maintains his innocence and disputes the prosecutor's request.
His defense attorney, Henrik Olsson Lilja, stated that Sviatash does not recognize the allegations and is seeking to overturn the arrest order. The defense also argued against the risk of flight, claiming the former lawmaker prefers to go to Russia rather than face extradition to Ukraine. The court ruled to uphold the detention, which is not subject to appeal, but allows Sviatash three weeks to request a new hearing to review the decision.
The court plans to inform the Swedish Minister of Justice about its ruling. Sviatash, previously convicted for justifying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and fraud, was apprehended at the Swedish border after arriving for a concert. He served in the Ukrainian Parliament from 2002 to 2019 before moving to Russia, where he continues to back Russia's actions following the full-scale invasion.
Written by urgent.news from Interfax-Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
