Alleged Russian hacker Nikulin demands compensation from Czech Justice Ministry

Yevgenij Nikulin, an alleged Russian hacker whom the Czech Republic extradited to the United States to face charges, is demanding 1.5 million crowns in compensation from the Czech Ministry of Justice.

Mr Nikulin claims that he was wrongly refused asylum in the Czech Republic and the justice minister’s decision to extradite him was legally shaky.

Mr Nikulin has repeatedly challenged the decision at the Czech Constitutional Court, but his complaint was turned down.

Nikulin was arrested in Prague in 2016 with both Russian and US authorities calling for him to be handed over.

In March 2018 he was extradited to the US where he is suspected of hacking computers at Silicon Valley firms including LinkedIn and Dropbox. The decision sparked protests from Russia and was criticized by President Miloš Zeman.

Author: Ruth Fraňková