Greece’s relevant justice minister on Tuesday told a visiting delegation from Turkey’s justice ministry that the possibility of the extradition of eight Turkish servicemen, who fled to Greece in the wake of a failed coup in the neighboring country, is closed.
Minister Stavros Kontonis said a decision by Greece’s Supreme Court on the matter is final.
Ankara’s repeated attempts to have the eight Turkish army officers and NCOs returned to the neighboring country to face charges related to the 2016 coup d’état have been rejected by various levels of Greece’s independent judiciary, which is outside the scope of the executive branch.
“The Supreme Court decision does not delve into issues of the existence of indications of guilt for the specific (defendants). The decision refers to something that considered as substantive: that under current conditions (that exist) in Turkey these officers may not have a fair trial, as foreseen by international (legal) standards,” Kontonis said, adding that the high court verdict is absolutely respected by the Greek government.
“What Turkish authorities will do is their issue, there are (other) possibilities, and they are clearly stipulated in Greece’s criminal code … therefore, it’s within their (Turkish authorities) discretion to take legal action,” he stressed.
