STOCKHOLM – REUTERS
The Swedish government said Thursday that it had decided to extradite a man wanted for fraud to Turkey, the first case since Ankara demanded the extradition of a number of people in exchange for allowing Stockholm to submit an official application for NATO membership.
NATO member Turkey did not use its veto to block Finland and Sweden’s bid for membership in June, after weeks of tense negotiations, with Ankara accusing the two countries of harboring what Turkey says are militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
As part of the deal, Turkey provided a list of people it wanted Sweden to extradite, but has since been frustrated with the lack of progress.
The man, in his 30s, would be the first known extradition case to Turkey since the deal was struck.
“This is a routine matter,” Swedish Justice Minister Morgan Johansson told Archyde.com in a text message. The person in question is a Turkish citizen and was convicted of fraud in Turkey in 2013 and 2016.
“The Supreme Court looked into the case and concluded that there are no obstacles to extradition,” he added.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice declined to say whether the man was on the list of people Turkey has requested his extradition or to make further comments on the matter.
Sweden’s SVT channel, which first reported on the extradition, said the man had been sentenced to 14 years in prison in Turkey on charges of bank card fraud.
The channel added that the man, who has been detained in Sweden since last year, says that he was unjustly sentenced because he converted to Christianity, refused to perform military service, and because he has Kurdish roots.