Croatia and Bosnia Need Extradition Agreement

We must discourage whatever criminal group and individual to commit a crime in one state, and seek security in another, said Mesic.

ZAGREB, CROATIA – After the getaway of doctor Ognjen Simic to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia sent to its neighbours a protest note for not extraditing him. 

Bosnia-Herzegovina, in fact, do not extradite their citizens, so despite the verdict with no right to appeal given by the County Court of Rijeka, Simic avoided nine years in prison. Similar situations have been taking place since the break-up of Yugoslavia, starting with the Ante Jelavic case up until today. According to the president of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Haris Silajdzic, the situation will not change for a long time.

- It is hard for me to speak because this issue is a matter of the judiciary – said Silajdzic, adding that there should be some changes in the court systems of the two countries to enable the extradition.

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic agrees with his Bosnian colleague, and said that it is in the interest of both countries to solve the problem with the extradition of people who are sentenced in one country and move to another country where they continue to run a normal life as if they were not guilty.

- We must solve this problem with a international agreements because only in this way we will manage to discourage whatever criminal group and individual to commit a crime in one state, and seek security in another – President Mesic concluded.