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Court orders deportation for war crimes
The Federal Court ruled on Tuesday that a man should be extradited to Croatia to answer allegations over war crimes, after being held in a maximum security jail in Sydney for the last three…
Lawyers Weekly
The Federal Court ruled on Tuesday that a man should be extradited to Croatia to answer allegations over war crimes, after being held in a maximum security jail in Sydney for the last three years.
It is also alleged he was in charge of others who mistreated prisoners over nearly two months, which resulted in some deaths.
Justice Cowdry rejected claims that Snedden would be unfairly tried in a judiciary biased against Serbs.
"The court is not satisfied that the evidence establishes that there are substantial grounds for believing that the applicant may be prejudiced at his trial," said Justice Cowdry in delivering his judgment.
Despite a 12-year delay surrounding the start of the investigation, Justice Cowdry ruled that any argument relating to an abuse of process was a matter for the Croatian judiciary, not the Federal Court.
Justice Cowdry also dismissed Snedden's claim that he could not be guaranteed a jury trial in Croatia, as he had not been charged with Commonwealth offences
Snedden can seek leave to appeal to the full bench of the Federal Court and also directly to the Attorney-General not to be deported.
- Sarah Sharples
