The Office of the State Attorney of Bosnia and Herzegovina has asked the country's State Court to keep Croatian war veteran Tihomir Purda in extradition custody to up to six months, court officials confirmed on Thursday.
Court spokesperson Selma Hadzic said that the request for the extension of extradition custody was based on the assessment that the process of making a decision on Serbia's request for Purda's extradition would take time and that it would not be possible to complete it before February 14, when the temporary 40-day extradition detention previously set for Purda, expires.
The State Court will probably decide on the prosecution's request by the end of this week.
The State Court on February 1 held a hearing in this case at which the state prosecutor and Purda's defence counsel presented their positions on Serbia's request for Purda's extradition. Serbian authorities want Purda on war crimes charges.
The Bosnian Office of the State Attorney concluded that legal conditions for Purda's transfer to Serbia had been met while Purda's attorney Josip Muselimovic said that the Serbian request was based on illegally obtained evidence.
Muselimovic requested that Purda be released and Serbia's request be turned down.
A panel of judges of the Bosnian State Court will decide on Purda's possible extradition after the judge who presided over the February 1 hearing states his position on the matter.
Bosnian laws do not envisage any time frame within which such a decision should be made, but they do state that a person whose extradition has been requested can be kept in extradition custody for up to six months.
The decision of the State Court may be appealed by both the prosecution and the defence.
The final decision on whether Purda will be handed over to Serbia will be made by the Justice Minister, who can accept the court's decision or change it.
