Skopje, 22 August 2024 (MIA) - The Supreme Court decided Thursday to cancel the decision of the Skopje-based Criminal Court regarding the extradition of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) member Blerim Ramadani, and the case is set to undergo repeated proceeding.

When taking the decision which stated that the legal prerequisites for the person's extradition had not been met, the Criminal Court did not provide elaborated reasons when accepting that the proceedings initiated under Article 75, Paragraph 1 of the Law on international cooperation in criminal matters, are conducted as regular proceedings in line with Article 68 and related to Article 51 of the same law, the Supreme Court said in a press release.

It adds that such proceeding and the subsequent decision of the first-instance court is unclear, without providing relevant reasons that led to this decision.

In the repeated proceeding, the first-instance court is obliged to consider these aspects, as well as the provisions of the Law on international cooperation in criminal matters and the European Convention on Extradition and its First, Second and Third Additional Protocols, leading to a correct and legitimate decision, notes the press release.

Kosovo national Ramadani, was arrested on July 17 at the Kosovo-Macedonian border after an Interpol warrant was issued on Serbia’s request. Afterwards, he was placed in 30-day extradition detention in a Skopje jail. On August 1, Ramadani’s detention was replaced with house arrest valid until August 16. However, he escaped house arrest on August 15.

Ramadani’s arrest warrant is based on Serbia’s claims that Ramadani, as former KLA member, had committed war crimes in the region of Nerodime.

MIA file photo