Supreme Court hearing in hospital

AN EXTRADITION hearing for two Russians  was held in a hospital and attended by three judges from Panama’s Supreme Court.

Vladimir Kokorev and Yulia Maleeva were extradited from Panama to Spain Friday, Oct 30  where they will face allegations of money laundering.

Kokorev and Maleeva, who are married and who are both Russian nationals with Spanish citizenship, were arrested on September 8 when they arrived  at Tocumen International Airport.

According to the newspaper El Pais, they were wanted by Interpol on allegations they laundered more than $30 million for officials from Equatorial Guinea in an investigation that dates back to 2009.

In an unprecedented, the move, the extradition hearing for Kokorev was held in the National Hospital where he had undergone prostate surgery.

Supreme Court judges Jose Ayu Prado, Harry Díaz and Jerome Mejia were present at the hearing. At that time, the couple agreed to accept extradition.

The Embassy of Spain handled the details of the couple’s return to Spain.