An Australian court on Tuesday ruled that alleged Nazi war criminal Konrads Kalejs should be extradited to Latvia where he is wanted on charges of war crimes and genocide. Kalejs' lawyers are appealing.
The charges against Kalejs, 87, relate to his role as a commander at the Salaspils labor camp near Riga in 1942-43 during World War Two.
"I am satisfied that Konrads Alfreds Kalejs is eligible for surrender to the Republic of Latvia in relation to the offences for which extradition is sought," said magistrate Lisa Hannan in a Melbourne court.
Kalejs is also sometimes known as Konrad.
Hannan ordered Kalejs, who had been on bail at a home for the elderly, be held in prison, but he was later released on bail after defense lawyers said they would appeal the ruling.
"We are disappointed with the magistrate's decision and will immediately appeal to try and stop this inhumane and unjust process," said Kalejs' lawyer Gerard Lethbridge in a statement read to reporters outside the court.
An appeal hearing will take place later this year and representatives for Latvia said they expected it to take no more than a few days. No date has been set.
Kalejs attended Tuesday's packed courtroom seated in a wheelchair but was excused from some sessions of the hearing over the past two weeks due to ill-health.
Kalejs, who took Australian citizenship in 1957, fled to Melbourne last year to avoid deportation from Britain, after being kicked out of Canada in 1997 and the United Sates in 1994 for lying on entry forms about his war past.
He was arrested last December after Latvia requested his extradition, and was bailed to a home for the elderly.
In her ruling, Hannan rejected arguments that Latvia was seeking Kalejs due to international pressure.
She said the defense also failed to convince the court that Latvia's case was too vague to allow extradition.
Hannan said she believed Latvian documents linked Kalejs with the death of 290 Jews who were sent for "destruction."
But Lethbridge said after the ruling that there was no credible evidence against Kalejs.
"Mr Kalejs has consistently maintained he is innocent and done no wrong," he said.
"There is good support for that. Not only Australia but Canada and the U.S. have carefully analyzed the evidence against Mr. Kalejs. They all concluded he should not be charged with any criminal offices."
Lethbridge said Kalejs, who will soon turn 88, has dementia, is blind and nearly deaf, has cancer and cannot walk unaided.
"Most significantly he cannot follow what is happening. He cannot remember the past. It is therefore impossible for him to get a fair trial," he said.
Australia, Israel and Jewish Affairs Council spokesman Jamie Hyams welcomed the extradition ruling.
"I hope that ultimately justice is done and the right verdict is reached," said Hyams, who questioned the validity of the ill-health claims by Kalejs -- MELBOURNE (Reuters)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
