Serbian Courts Sit Tight on Extradition Demands

Serbia's Justice Ministry told BIRN Belgrade is seeking extradition of 120 person from other countries, while other states seek the extradition of 80 persons from Serbia.

One such case concerns the former Romanian MP and businessman Sebastian Ghita, who is wanted in Romania on several corruption charges.

The Belgrade Higher Court told BIRN that the procedure in Ghita's case is still in progress, adding that a hearing is scheduled for May 19.

"When all the necessary information is collected, the criminal trial chamber [of the court] will decide on the fulfillment of conditions [for extradition]," the court said.

Ghita, 38, was detained in Belgrade on April 13, one night after identifying himself to police with fake Slovenian documents.

The former MP had been on the run for four months after vanishing last December from Bucharest, Romania, while under court supervision.

The former Romanian Social Democrat Party MP and financier faces five corruption investigations as well as two international and domestic arrest warrants after Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate, DNA, launched probes into allegations that he had sought bribes in return for state contracts and had illegally funded former Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta's 2014 presidential campaign.

A more extreme example of delays concerns Bulgarian Tycoon Tsvetan Vasilev whose extradition from Serbia has been sought by Bulgaria since 2014.

Vasilev owns a company in Serbia, Serbian Glass Factory, which is facing bankruptcy procedures.

The Belgrade Court told BIRN that no decision had yet been made on the conditions for the extradition of Vasilev to Bulgaria.

"Two earlier decisions of this court were...