The Sofia City Court has postponed the extradition case of Igor Grechushkin, the owner of a cargo ship linked to the explosion at the port of Beirut in 2020, which claimed the lives of more than 200 people and injured thousands. The judges requested assurances from the Lebanese authorities that the man would not face the death penalty for any of the charges brought against him. The case will continue on December 10.

Grechushkin, who holds Russian and Cypriot citizenship, was detained on September 5 at Sofia Airport after arriving from Paphos, Cyprus. He had been wanted on an Interpol red notice for five years. By decision of the Appellate Court-Sofia, he will remain in custody until the extradition procedure is completed.

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Today’s decision to postpone the case came just minutes before the official ceremony welcoming Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who arrived in Bulgaria at the invitation of President Rumen Radev, reported BNR’s Horizont channel. ''We remain firmly committed to uncovering the circumstances and shedding light on the truth'', Joseph Aoun said, as quoted by BGNES.

Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov

Photo: Dimitar Kyosemarliev