Chechen emissary's case being considered in London

The London Magistrate's Court in Bow Street will read out a judgement on the extradition to Russia of Chechen separatists' emissary Ahmed Zakayev on Thursday.

The judge of the London Magistrate's court in Bow Street, Timothy Workman made this decision on the results of the final hearings held on October 21.

The Russian government, which is a plaintiff in this case, accused Zakayev of murders, in particular the murder of one of two Orthodox priests seized in 1996, as well as of leading bandit formations.

The London court considers Zakayev's extradition in compliance with the inquiry the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation sent to Britain.

Ahmed Zakayev was arrested on December 5, 2002 at London's Heathrow airport where he arrived from Denmark. The international warrant of arrest was based on accusations of committing crimes on Russian territory which the Russian side brought against him. But later, Maskhadov's emissary, whose passport was confiscated by the police, was released on a 50,000-pound bail contributed by the British actress Vanessa Redgrave.

Representative of the Royal Prosecutor Service James Lewis handed over a letter to the judge. It was signed by Russian Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov and guaranteed that Ahmed Zakayev, if extradited to Russia, will be kept in the pre-trial center controlled by the Justice Ministry.