Warsaw Court Doesn’t Extradite Leonid Volk :: Charter'97 :: News

Warsaw court denied extradition to Belarus of a Belarusian businessman Leonid Volk. Former director general of the joint Belarusian-American company “Metincom” is charged with financial machinations. On these grounds the official Minsk demanded his extradition. Polish side’s refusal was humiliating for Belarusians: they declined to extradite him for there’s no independent judiciary in Belarus, the judges are appointed to their positions and dismissed by personally Alexander Lukashenko.

The outcome of a three-hour session (where Belarusian law-enforcers weren’t present, which is a remarkable fact in itself) was the verdict on the refusal of extradition of the Israeli national Volk.

The UCP press-service reports that deputy chair of the United Civil Party Alexander Dobrovolsky, acting at the process as a witness, said that the Warsaw district court was guided by the European Convention on human rights, Thus, they created a precedent: it is possible that they will no longer extradite people to Belarus. Neither in Leonid Volchek’s case, when charges brought against him are trumped-up, nor under any other circumstances, even if the guilt of the suspect is evident.