Ministerial Counsellor Juhani Korhonen, a legal advisor at the Ministry of Justice, says that although Finland has an extradition treaty with the United States, the same terms are required for an extradition process, regardless of the political situation or sanctions imposed on some Russian citizens.
Earlier this week, on Thursday, Russian citizens were warned by the Foreign Ministry in Moscow to avoid visiting countries that have bilateral extradition treaties with the United States, if they believe that US law enforcement authorities have some claims against them.
"The United States cannot imagine getting anyone extradited on easier grounds than at any other time, if that's what the Russians mean," said Korhonen.
The extradition treaty between Finland and the United States covers both people charged with crimes and those already convicted. It requires that the US presents an arrest warrant from a judge or court, provides detailed information concerning the accused and also provides evidence supporting any accusations.
In the case of a person convicted to a prison sentence, Finland requires detailed documentation of the crime and the conviction. In these cases, Finnish authorities consider on the basis of the documentation whether or not there is cause for extradition.
Juhani Korhonen pointed out that Finland has rarely turned over individuals to US authorities. Over the past 15 years, there have been about a dozen cases. According to Korhonen, only one of these was a Russian citizen who was wanted on suspicion of insurance fraud.