FSUOGM: Prosecutors push for delay in Gyetvay case

US prosecutors are pushing for a delay in a tax fraud case involving the deputy chairman of Russian gas producer Novatek, Mark Gyetvay, arguing that they need more time to gather evidence.

Florida businessman Gyetvay was arrested in the US on September 24 on charges of hiding $93mn in offshore accounts and failing to pay tax on $40mn of income. He was given bail and was released with GPS monitoring and house arrest, while also having to surrender his passports.

According to Bloomberg, prosecutors have filed a request to push back the November 1 trial date by at least six months. Despite this, they also said they had an “exceedingly strong” case already.

Under the Speedy Trial Act, US defendants have a right to a trial within 70 days of their indictment. Although judges often do push back trials in complex tax cases, this only happens if both sides agree. Gyetvay, who has pleaded not guilty, opposes this request.

“We are going to do everything we can do to ensure Mr Gyetvay’s constitutional rights to have a trial occur within 70 days of the indictment,” the businessman’s attorney, Kevin Downing, told Bloomberg.

Prosecutors argued that trials are often delayed when other countries have not acted on requests for evidence. Russia and Cyprus have provided evidence, but they are still awaiting information from the UK and Switzerland, and securing that could take “several months if not longer.”

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