APPEAL LODGED IMMEDIATELY AFTER COURT'S REFUSAL TO BAIL OFF BORODIN








NEW YORK, March 10, 2001. /RIA Novosti correspondent/ - Without leaving the hall of the Brooklyn federal court of New York City, where on Friday evening the judge refused to release on bail State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus Pavel Borodin, his leading lawyer Barry Kingham lodged an appeal  against this decision. 


	As Moscow lawyer Eleonora Sergeyeva, who also attended the trial, told the journalists, the new hearing may take place  already next week. "As far as I understand, the question will be considered by the same court, but by the judge of a higher  category," she said. 


	In his turn, Russian Ambassador to the USA Yury Ushakov stated that the Russian side would continue energetically seek the release of Pavel Borodin. Commenting on the Friday hearing, he said that "the prosecutor's side looked unconvincing, while the defence was prepared very well and its arguments were  well-founded." The ambassador voiced the supposition that the judge was not experienced to a certain extent. "His decision will be appealed against," pointed out the Russian diplomat. 


	"The judge is concerned about some security problems. However, it seems to me that these problems can be resolved, and this can be done very quickly," said Yury Ushakov. He reminded the journalists that the Russian side had not only offered political guarantees, it was ready to grant considerable  financial means to support the appeal for releasing Borodin on bail. "I believe that these steps by the Russian state are themselves a sufficient guarantee that Borodin will not  disappear."  The ambassador expressed the supposition that the appeal would be reconsidered either by the same court or by the court of a higher instance. He positively answered the question of a Russian journalist whether the Borodin case issue could be raised at the coming meeting of Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Ivanov with US President's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. 


	For her part, Eleonora Sergeyeva pointed out: "It is very important that during the Friday hearing the court admitted that there existed those same exclusive circumstances about which the Russian side talked much and which must have served as a ground for releasing Borodin on bail. However, the court found that the security measures offered to it were not substantial to guarantee that Borodin would not go to the territory of the Russian  Consulate General in New York and thus fall under the status of immunity." "The point is that now such a package of security  measures must be offered that would satisfy the court," Eleonora Sergeyeva continued. "Such measures should be offered that will allow the court to free Borodin while the question of his extradition is decided. Undoubtedly, the hope does exist that the solution to the question will be positive."   At the same time both Yury Ushakov and Eleonora Sergeyeva admitted that the started process of lodging an appeal may make longer the consideration of the case as a whole. They made it clear that the hearing of the application about denying  Switzerland's request to extradite Borodin, scheduled for April 2, may be put off for a later date. -O- (kos/kri)  10/03/01    12:02