The final decision will be made in a week or two by Croatian Justice Minister.
President of the County Court in Karlovac Ivan Perković said on Tuesday that in the extradition proceedings against Alija Delimustafić, former Interior Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the court had adopted all necessary decisions and that the file had been sent to Minister of Justice Ante Šprlje, since the Law on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters provides for the Minister to make the final decision, reports politikaplus.com on December 27, 2016.
“We will just receive a notice of extradition, if there is an extradition, and then Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina will agree on the details. We have determined that conditions for extradition have been fulfilled, and Justice Minister generally accepts the decision of the court and makes a decision on extradition. Since Delimustafić agreed to the extradition in a shortened procedure, I expect the Minister’s decision within a week or two”, said Perković.
Delimustafić, former Bosnian Minister of Interior, was arrested on 21 December in a bus in Karlovac. He is currently located at a jail in Karlovac and, according to his attorney Hasan Karajić, he does not object to the extradition.
“Delimustafić has no objection to the proceedings at the County Court or to his status in the jail, but I have to say that there was no need for the arrest. He has reported his residence in Croatia as a foreigner, since he has an apartment in Opatija. Interpol issued an arrest warrant for him on 19 December, my client found out about it on 20 December, and the next day he tried to go to Bosnia and Herzegovina by bus. However, he was arrested in Karlovac. As soon as we met, he told me he wanted to immediately go to Sarajevo and that he was on his way to Sarajevo when he was arrested.
Senad Pizović, a lawyer from the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, said that the Prosecutor’s Office of the Sarajevo Canton is investigating his client for alleged “criminal acts of organized crime, in connection with the abuse of office, money laundering and several other issues”. “Delimustafić was in Croatia because he was released from custody without any restrictive measures on his movement, since a court found that in this case there is no responsibility of my client. However, the prosecution has changed its opinion and now claims that he allegedly organized the group. We will see, the investigation is still in progress, but there is still no indictment”, said Pizović.
As far as the earlier cases are concerned, Pizović confirmed a four-year prison sentence imposed against his client fifteen years ago, because of planning of a kidnapping in Munich in 1996. Bosnian Federation Prime Minister Niko Lozančić pardoned Delimustafić in 2005. Media reports also linked Delimustafić with other alleged crimes, relating to alleged fraud of a mortgage bank, arms smuggling and war profiteering.
