Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina sign extradition treaty

BELGRADE Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic and his Bosnian counterpart Barisa Colak on Thursday in Belgrade signed an agreement on extradition. It concerns the two countries' citizens charged with and convicted for criminal acts of organized crime, corruption, money laundry and other grave crimes. Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina sign extradition treaty The agreement will not apply to persons indicted and convicted for war crimes and genocide. ”The agreement rounds off all modes of legal cooperation between Bosnia and Serbia,” Selakovic said after the signing of the Treaty. According to him, the document will apply to the extraction of both foreign and local citizens convicted for criminal acts of organised crime, corruption and money laundry which entail prison sentences of minimum four years. In addition to this, the document also covers the extradition of persons convicted for grave criminal acts that entail a prison sentence of five and more years, Selakovic said. Colak noted that during the meeting with Selakovic, an agreement was also reached on improvement of cooperation in war crimes prosecution as these cases pose a burden on the two countries' joint path to European integration. The provisions of the Treaty signed on Thursday will cover crimes committed after the enforcement of the document for local citizens and it will not apply retroactively. When it comes to the enforcement of foreign court decisions against the countries' citizens, the Treaty envisages the possibility for the individual requested by extradition warrants to serve the sentence in their own country instead of being extradited to another country which requested their extradition. It will be possible for a country to extradite its citizen to the other country which is prosecuting them for crimes or in which he was sentenced in absentia. Bosnia is the only former Yugoslav republic with which Serbia has not signed such an agreement yet. Over the past few years, extradition agreements were signed with Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia. (Tanjug) Tanjug

Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina sign extradition treaty

The agreement will not apply to persons indicted and convicted for war crimes and genocide.

”The agreement rounds off all modes of legal cooperation between Bosnia and Serbia,” Selaković said after the signing of the Treaty.

According to him, the document will apply to the extraction of both foreign and local citizens convicted for criminal acts of organised crime, corruption and money laundry which entail prison sentences of minimum four years.

In addition to this, the document also covers the extradition of persons convicted for grave criminal acts that entail a prison sentence of five and more years, Selaković said.

Čolak noted that during the meeting with Selaković, an agreement was also reached on improvement of cooperation in war crimes prosecution as these cases pose a burden on the two countries' joint path to European integration.

The provisions of the Treaty signed on Thursday will cover crimes committed after the enforcement of the document for local citizens and it will not apply retroactively.

When it comes to the enforcement of foreign court decisions against the countries' citizens, the Treaty envisages the possibility for the individual requested by extradition warrants to serve the sentence in their own country instead of being extradited to another country which requested their extradition.

It will be possible for a country to extradite its citizen to the other country which is prosecuting them for crimes or in which he was sentenced in absentia.

Bosnia is the only former Yugoslav republic with which Serbia has not signed such an agreement yet. Over the past few years, extradition agreements were signed with Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia.