LONDON, December 16 - RAPSI. The Westminster Magistrates Court in London will open on March 20-23 its preliminary hearing on the extradition of Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov and his Lithuanian business partner Raimondas Baranauskas to Lithuania. The hearing will start on May 8, RIA Novosti reports.

The former shareholders of the Lithuanian Snoras bank were detained on November 24 upon the request of Lithuanian prosecutors. The Lithuanian Prosecutor's Office seeks to interrogate them over their involvement in a large-scale assets theft from Snoras bank, documents forgery and fraudulent accounting. Both businessmen are accused of embezzling about 220 million pounds.