An appeals panel of the Supreme Court has overturned the acquittal of Andrey Yakun, who was accused of flying a drone in Norway.
Supreme Court quashes order to release Russian businessman Andrey Yakunin. The 47-year-old stayed Last week he was charged and detained for flying a drone over Svalbard.
The ban was appealed to the Hålogaland Court of Appeal, where a majority ruled that Yakunin did not violate the ban on Russian flights with his drone and should therefore be released.
The Supreme Court believed that the Court of Appeal had misconstrued the terms and overturned the judgment. Hence there should be further appeal by the Appellate Court.
VG mentioned earlier The man’s father, oligarch Vladimir Yakunin, has close ties to President Vladimir Putin in Russia.
Andriy Yakunin has denied criminal wrongdoing and any ties to Russian officials. He holds both Russian and British citizenship and has previously stated that he considers himself British.
– Disappointed by PST
The Supreme Court believes drones are included in Norway’s ban on “non-Russian registered aircraft” owned, leased or controlled by Russians.
– In the term “aircraft” there is no distinction between registered and unregistered vessels, writes the Supreme Court in its judgment, adding:
“Therefore, there is no doubt that all Russian airlines are prohibited from landing, taking off or flying over the territory of Norway, regardless of whether the aircraft is registered or not,” the Supreme Court wrote in its ruling.
On Thursday, Yakunin himself commented on PST’s appeal in a press release through his defenders.
– I am disappointed that the prosecution appealed against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, he said.
He said he had done all he could to report the case to the police and was confident he would not be found guilty in a possible trial.
– I am sure that if my case goes to court, it will be clear to the court that I am innocent. My legal team and I wanted to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was not a criminal offense to fly a drone recreationally, he said.
– PST takes note, PST’s Senior Counsel Martin Bernsen tells NTB, that the Supreme Court now supports the police’s understanding of regulation.
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