Sweden: Extradition to Turkey wanted for fraud after NATO deal

Her government Sweden announced yesterday (11/8) that he decided to extradite to Turkey a man, who wanted for fraud, in the first such case since Turkey demanded the extradition of certain people in exchange for allowing in Stockholm to formally apply for NATO membership.

Turkey, a member of NATOlifted its veto in June on requests by Finland and Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after weeks of tense negotiations during which Ankara accused the two Nordic countries of harboring what Turkey says are Labor Party militants of Kurdistan (PKK), which has been outlawed in Turkey.

As part of the agreement, the Turkey submitted a list of people it wants Stockholm to extradite, but Ankara has since expressed frustration at the lack of progress.
The man, about 30 years old, it will be the first known case of extradition in Turkey since the agreement was reached.

“This is a normal routine issue. Tthe person in question is a Turkish citizen and was convicted of fraud offenses in Turkey in 2013 and 2016,” Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said in a written message to Reuters, as reported by the Athens News Agency.

“The Supreme Court considered the matter as usual and concluded that there are no obstacles to extradition.”he said.

A spokesman for Sweden’s justice ministry declined to say whether the man was on the list of people Turkey has asked Sweden to extradite, or to comment further on the matter.

Swedish broadcaster SVT, which was the first to announce the release, reported that the man has been sentenced in Turkey to 14 years in prison for several bank card fraud cases.

The man, who detained in Sweden since last year, argues that he has been unjustly condemned because he embraced Christianity, refused to he is doing military service and has Kurdish roots, SVT reported.