- Title: GREECE: Greek court rules for extradition of Australian crime boss Tony Mokbel
- Date: 19th March 2008
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) LAWYER ALEXANDROS LYKOUREZOS SAYING: "Anyhow, we will exhaust, the only thing I can say today, we will exhaust all means that the law provides in order to avoid extradition." REPORTERS QUESTION: WHAT WILL YOU DO? "It's a question of imagination." REPORTERS QUESTION: WILL YOU ASK THE MINISTER TO DELAY HIS DECISION? "I cannot say anything more. I cannot elaborate more, as I told you we tried to exhaust everything that the law allows us." REPORTERS QUESTION: BUT IF THE SUPREME COURT HAS DECIDED TO EXTRADITE HIM USUALLY MINISTERS DO NOT GO AGAINST THE SUPREME COURT? "Usually no. it depends." REPORTER'S QUESTION: WHAT ABOUT THE EUROPEAN COURT? "That is also something we are looking at. We will see." MOKBEL'S PARTNER DANIELLE MCGUIRE SPEAKING WITH LAWYERS LYKOUREZOS SPEAKING WITH DANIELLE MCGUIRE DANIELLE MACGUIRE LAWYERS AND MCGUIRE TALKING OUTSIDE COURTHOUSE
- Embargoed: 3rd April 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Greece
- Country: Greece
- Reuters ID: LVAOUON3EWHBNGBCS2ASJZAFVKL
- Story Text: Greece's Supreme Court rules in favour of the extradition of Australian crime boss Tony Mokbel to Australia.
Lawyers for Australian crime boss Tony Mokbel said the Supreme Court on Tuesday (March 18) upheld a lower court decision to extradite the Australian fugitive. The extradition must now be signed by the Greek Minister of Justice, who has the final say on the extradition.
Lawyers said it was not clear how long that would take, although it usually takes one month. Lawyers said Justice Ministers did not usually go against Supreme Court decisions but it depended. Lawyers added that the Greek Supreme Court dismissed some of the charges against him that the lawyers had appealed.
Mokbel's Greek legal team said it will still exhaust any means to keep Mokbel from being extradited but did not elaborate, saying only it was a "question of imagination."
"We will exhaust all means that the law provides," said Alexandros Lykourezos, Mokbel's lawyer.
He said they may consider appealing to the European Court of Human Rights.
"That is also something we are looking at, we will see." said Lykourezos.
Lawyers had claimed that Mokbel's life was in danger and he would not get a fair trial in Australia because of the negative media attention and negative comments by politicians there, adding that there was now a film out about Mokbel in Australia portraying him as a mafia kingpin.
The extradition hearing had been postponed twice in 2007.
Mokbel has been fighting extradition since being arrested in Greece in June 2007 , where he had been living for nine months previously with his partner and two children.
After his arrest he was convicted by a Greek court for falsifying documents and given a one year prison sentence - after using a fake passport and drivers license - which is not expected to deter his extradition.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in absentia in Australia for cocaine trafficking and is also wanted on murder charges of a rival crime boss.
He has been in an Athens high security prison since his arrest, sharing a cell with another inmate, while his partner and two daughters have been living in Athens. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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