Brittney Griner hopeful that she can 'return home soon' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AFP-Scanpix Credit AFP-Scanpix

The wait should soon be over for Brittney Griner. Detained in a Russian prison since last February after being arrested with cannabis in her electronic cigarette, the 31-year-old basketball player hopes to "return home soon," her lawyer Maria Blagovolina said, according to AFP.

Brittney Griner

Position:CAge:31Height:206 cmWeight:93 kgBirth place:Houston, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

"The trial should end very soon. On Thursday, there will be the last debates, so the verdict will fall very quickly," she added in front of the court in Khimki, near Moscow. The double Olympic champion admitted to having brought the substance inadvertently and denies any drug trafficking.

During the hearing on Tuesday, an expert cited by the defense questioned the methodology of the analysis carried out on the vaper by the Russian investigators, noting several shortcomings.

"The examination does not meet legal standards in terms of completeness," said Dmitry Gladychev, a forensic chemist. After his testimony, the trial was adjourned to Thursday. Griner's trial has taken on another dimension in recent days with talks between Moscow and Washington over a possible prisoner swap that the player could be part of.

On Friday, the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov had their first discussions since the start of Moscow's operation in Ukraine. Blinken said that Washington had made a "substantial offer" to Moscow to secure the release of Griner and another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan.

Asked about these negotiations on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the discussions should "remain confidential" because "public exchanges of opinions will not produce any results".

Griner's lawyer said on Tuesday that the player's defense was not involved in the negotiations, while stressing that such a measure would be "legally possible" after her conviction.

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