German authorities did not pardon Russian Vadim Sokolov (Krasikov), who was sentenced to life imprisonment and deported from the country; This was reported in the German publication The World.
According to German law, a pardon for a life sentence can only be granted if the convict has served at least 15 years in prison.
The publication states that Russia could have pardoned the Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, but it was reported that no such request had been made. Therefore, the government preferred the deportation option.
Krasikov was deported by the immigration office of the Lower Bavarian city where he was serving his sentence.
The Federal Prosecutor General opposed the release of the Russian citizen, but the German Ministry of Justice was influential in the final decision.
On August 1, Krasikov and several others convicted of espionage and cybercrimes in the West returned to the Russian Federation as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange with the West. “socialbites.ca” read their biographies.
Scholz before named It’s a tough decision to release the Russian.