A martial artist who is wanted by the Ukrainian authorities for the alleged misappropriation of €1 million will be extradited within 15 days despite claims of inhumane treatment and torture of suspects in that country.
Andriy Pashkov, 39, put up quite a fight to stay in Malta. His Ukranian lawyer, Viacheslav Golovinov, flew over to testify that in prisons in the east-European state there were 30 inmates to a cell and they slept on a roster basis because of lack of beds.
The defence lawyer in Malta, Franco Debono, even called up the national coordinator for Amnesty International, Davinia Vella, to testify. She claimed there have even been cases of people dying while in the custody of the Ukrainian police.
Highlighting a somewhat archaic judicial system in that country, Dr Golovinov said he had asked to see all the court documents but the prosecuting officer in the Ukraine refused even though he had a right by law to see them when he testified in April.
The extradition proceedings began after the authorities in the Ukraine issued a European arrest warrant against Mr Pashkov for the alleged misappropriation.
At the end of his testimony, the Ukrainian lawyer said there were only two instances where one could be extradited. The first was when the wanted person had to serve a prison term and the second when an arrest warrant was issued. But neither was the case with his client, he said.
Donatella Frendo Dimech, representing the Attorney General's Office, insisted that a European arrest warrant had been issued for otherwise the proceedings in Malta would not have started.
Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna ordered Mr Pashkov's extradition within 15 days. The accused should be given access to consular or diplomatic representatives in Malta if and when needed, the court decreed.
Mr Pashkov was an important member of Malta's national judo team. High hopes were pegged on his performance at the small nations' games which ended in Cyprus last Saturday. He could not take part because he was under arrest and the team lost two titles it had won in the games two years ago. Lawyer Elaine Rizzo, from the International Cooperation Unit of the Attorney General's office, also prosecuted.