Macedonia and Croatia Sign Extradition Deal

Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and Macedonia's Gjorge Ivanov

In the presence of the two countries' presidents, Macedonia’s Gjorge Ivanov and Croatia's Ivo Josipovic, justice ministers Blerim Bexheti and his host, Drazen Bosnjakovic, signed the agreement on Monday in Zagreb.

“This is one more contribution towards the stabilization of the entire region and overcoming the unpleasant consequences inherited from the past,” Ivanov noted after the signing.

The latest agreement forms part of a general principle agreed between the leaders of the Balkan region to expand existing extradition treaties. The aim is to curb the space for convicted or suspected criminals to flee justice.

In July, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina announced increased preparations to sign bilateral extradition agreements.

Earlier this month Macedonia and Montenegro also signed such an agreement. Another is in preparation with Serbia between commissions from both countries.

Last June Serbia and Croatia signed a deal to extradite organized crime suspects. A similar agreement between Serbia and Bosnia is to take effect once provisions in the Bosnian constitution have been amended.

Plans to ease extradition are not new but the legal systems of each of the Balkan countries have stood in the way of putting them into practice.
 
Thus, Macedonia and other regional countries have had to make constitutional changes to make extradition of citizens possible. This was the key, enabling the country to ask for the same favour from its neighbours in return.

In recent years several high-profile Macedonian citizens holding dual citizenship have fled the country to avoid prosecution at home.

One notorious example concerns Macedonia's former chief of customs, Dragan Daravelski, who is wanted in Macedonia on embezzlement charges.

Serbia has in the past refused to extradite Daravelski, who also holds a Serbian passport, citing its constitution, which prohibits extradition of Serbian citizens.

Another case concerns a former state trustee for several bankrupt companies, Vladislav Tamburkovski, sentenced in absentia in Macedonia for fraud. He is also out of the country, believed to be in Bulgaria or Serbia.

Former health minister Vlado Dimov is believed to have fled to Turkey to avoid corruption charges.