At a hearing on the case against Viktor Bout, Judge Shira Sheindlin has allowed public prosecutors to use UN documents that concern the businessman.

The prosecutor's office appealed to the court to let them acquaint the jury with the past of Bout, describing him as a major operator on the arms market and the violator of the UN Security Council sanctions. State prosecutors present as evidence UN documents and resolution 1532 of the Security Council unanimously adopted in March 2004 on the Liberian dictator Charles Taylor. The resolution mentioned Viktor Bout, whose assets all UN member states recommend to freeze for violating the embargo on goods to Taylor. In the same document it is recommended that UN member states deny Bout entry or transit through their territory.

Bout's lawyers protest against presenting in court the materials that have no direct connection to the charges brought against their defendant and that form a biased opinion about the businessman. The judge demanded that prosecutors remove the materials concerning episodes associated with Rwanda and Libya, assuming that the very mention of these countries may create an a priori negative attitude to Bout.

As already reported on The Russian Mafia web-site (rumafia.com), in March 2008 Viktor Bout was arrested in Bangkok at the request of the United States, and in November 2010 extradited to the United States.