An Italian court has ruled that a Ukrainian man suspected of sabotage against the Nord Stream pipelines must be extradited from Italy to Germany. This is reported by the dpa news agency, which has received confirmation from the accused's defense lawyer.
A court in Bologna ruled in September that the Ukrainian man should be extradited. However, the Ukrainian appealed this decision. The case was then sent to the Italian Supreme Court, which then sent the question of extradition back to the court in Bologna. Here, a newly composed jury was tasked with assessing the case again.
The Supreme Court dismissed the case, as it considered that there had been an error in the arrest warrant issued by the German authorities.
The German prosecutor's office stated in August that the Ukrainian man had been arrested by Italian police. He has been referred to by German police under the name "Serhii K.". He was arrested near the Italian coastal town of Rimini on the basis of a European arrest warrant.
Will appeal
According to the Reuters news agency, the Ukrainian will appeal the latest extradition decision. He is suspected of having coordinated sabotage against the two Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which run in the Baltic Sea between Germany and Russia.
According to the prosecutors, he and a group of other people planted explosive devices on the two pipelines near Bornholm, it has previously been stated in a statement from the prosecutor's office in Germany. The alleged sabotage took place on September 26, 2022.
The case has also been investigated by both the Danish and Swedish authorities. These investigations were stopped in February last year.
The German authorities also want another Ukrainian extradited in the case. He is referred to as "Volodymyr Z." and has been arrested in Poland. Earlier in October, however, a Polish court ruled that the man should not be extradited for prosecution in Germany.
/ritzau/
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