Vienna court to decide on Thursday on Ukrainian businessman Firtash's extradition to U.S.

On Thursday, a Vienna regional criminal court is to consider a request from the U.S. Department of Justice for the extradition of Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash to the United States.

Not only Ukrainian press, but also Austrian and other European journalists came to the court to follow the court hearings, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported.

Present at the court room are also top managers from Group DF, which unites Firtash's assets, and some Ukrainian politicians from the opposition, namely Vadym Rabinovich and Mykhailo Papiyev.

Speaking at the court room, Firtash said he disagreed with his extradition to the United States.

"It's very politically motivated," he said when commenting the U.S. request.

Then, the judge gave the floor to Firtash's lawyers.

As reported, Firtash was arrested in Austria at the request of the FBI on March 12, 2014. A Vienna court detained him but agreed to release him on a EUR 125-million bail. He also signed a written promise not to leave Austria.

The U.S. government has accused six individuals, including Firtash, of bribing Indian officials to receive a permit for mining operations. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the accused attempted to pay a bribe worth $18.5 million in the hope of receiving $500 million from selling titanium mined in the Indian state Andhra Pradesh.

At the time, Firtash said that the accusations against him were absurd and of a political nature.

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