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| Serbia submits extradition request for Ceku |
| 24 June 2009 | 09:22 -> 16:45
| Source:
B92, Beta, Tanjug |
SOFIA, PRIŠTINA, BELGRADE --
Justice Minister Snežana Malović says an official request for Agim Ceku's extradition has been sent.
 | Agim Ceku (FoNet, archive)
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She also said she expects a positive reply from the Bulgarian authorities soon.
Ceku was arrested last night in Gushevo, at the Bulgarian-Macedonian border, on a red Interpol arrest warrant issued by Serbia, which accuses him of war crimes in Kosovo. He has been remanded in custody for 72 hours while the Bulgarian authorities consider Serbia’s extradition application.
Ceku’s arrest has also been confirmed by Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Lyubomir Klyuchkov.
He said that he expected further information from Interpol pertaining to the grounds for the indictment, and that Ceku had come to Bulgaria at the invitation of a Bulgarian politician that he had been due to meet.
“I expect him to be released. Obviously legal frameworks have to be fulfilled, and our country obviously cannot prejudge the decision, but it’s possible. Now, I’m only giving this as an example, but it’s possible that he could be released on the basis that Bulgaria has recognized Kosovo,“ said Klyuchkov.
The Serbian Justice Ministry wants Ceku to stand trial for command responsibility for genocide and the murders of 669 Serbs and 18 other non-Albanians in Kosovo in 1999, Malović said.
She expects the Bulgarian authorities to take a decision on the former Kosovo Liberation Army commander’s extradition, adding that the procedure could be carried out in line with the European Convention on Extradition.
Serbia and Bulgaria also have an agreement on international legal aid in criminal matters, signed in 1960.
Ministry State Secretary Slobodan Homen explained that the extradition application had been sent to the Bulgarian Justice Ministry under urgent procedure, and that a decision was expected any time.
“The Justice Ministry is, as ever, acting under urgent procedure when it comes to the perpetrators of the gravest crimes: it has taken a decision, signed and sent an extradition application for Agim Ceku to the Bulgarian Justice Ministry,“ said Homen.
Ceku, he said, had been arrested on a red Interpol warrant issued by Serbian Interpol.
“We expect the Bulgarian judicial authorities to take a decision on his extradition to Serbia as he is accused of the murder of 669 Serbs and 18 other non-Albanians,“ said Homen.
The state secretary recalled that this was the fourth time that the former KLA commander had been detained on a Serbian warrant.
“The decision always rests with the judicial authorities, so it’s very hard to give an exact estimate of when they’ll take a decision on extradition. We expect them to decide as soon as possible,“ said Homen, adding that in issues like extradition and the procedure, this could take anything up to a year.
The first time, Ceku was arrested in October 2003, at Ljubljana Airport, and the second time at Budapest Airport, in February 2004, though he was released on both occasions. He was also deported from Colombia in May 2009 on the basis of an Interpol warrant.
Kosovo officials have called for Interpol warrants issued for Kosovo Albanians to be dropped on a number of occasions.
Bulgaria weighing up decision
Ceku was arrested last night in Gushevo, at the Bulgarian-Macedonian border, on a red arrest warrant issued by Interpol.
The Bulgarian BTA agency states that, after reveiwing the documentation, the Bulgarian prosecution will take a decision on whether to hand Ceku over to the Serbian authorities to stand trial for war crimes, or to release him.
A spokesman for Ceku’s Social Democratic Party of Kosovo, Gezim Kasapoli, said that he had traveled to Sofia for talks with Bulgaria’s deputy interior minister and other senior officials.
“Ceku traveled to Sofia where he had been invited to an official meeting with the Bulgarian deputy interior minister,“ said Kasapoli, adding that talks were under way to secure his release.
However, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry stated that the former Kosovo leader had not received an official invitation to visit Bulgaria.
“Ceku did not have an official invite, nor was the ministry advised that the former Kosovo prime minister had such an invitation,“ Bulgarian Foreign Minister Milen Keremechiev told the Kokus agency.
Keremechiev added that the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry was in permanent contact with the Kosovo authorities, who had been informed of Ceku’s arrest.
Former Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi said that he had invited Ceku to visit Bulgaria. Pasi said that he was in permanent working contact with the fomer Kosovo leader, with whom he had exchanged visits.
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Archive: Wednesday, 24 June 2009 |
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