Court Won’t Revisit|Restitution Reversal

(CN) - The 9th Circuit on Thursday refused to reconsider its ruling last month that former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavel Lazarenko is not required to pay $19 million to his partner in a money-laundering scheme.

Lazarenko's co-conspirator, Peter Kiritchenko, had asked the full federal appeals court in San Francisco to revisit its Nov. 4 decision that Lazarenko did not have to pay him restitution under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act.

The former prime minister allegedly used his position to discourage Kiritchenko's business competitors in exchange for kickbacks.

A jury in 2004 found Lazarenko guilty of conspiring to launder money, and the trial court ordered him to pay restitution for extorting money from Kiritchenko.

The 9th Circuit reversed, holding that "in the absence of exceptional circumstances, a co-conspirator cannot recover restitution."

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