Written question asked by Andrew Mackinlay (Labour) on Monday, 13 November 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 November 2000. It was answered by Ross Cranston (Labour) on Monday, 27 November 2000 on behalf of the Solicitor General.

Solicitor-General

Question: To ask the Solicitor General, if he will make a statement on the factors which led the United Kingdom to request the German Authorities to extradite Mr Mikhail Karacostas and his associates to the United Kingdom.

Answer: Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement on the factors which led the United Kingdom to request the German authorities to extradite Mr. Mikhail Karacostas and his associates to the United Kingdom. [138758] The Solicitor-General: Mr. Karacostas and associates (Christos Ieronymides, Fotios Platanides and Pierre Daskas) were accused of being involved in serious criminal activities in the UK. If the Crown Prosecution Service is satisfied that there is a realistic prospect of conviction (acting in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors), and the accused is in a foreign state, extradition proceedings will be commenced in accordance with that foreign state. In the case of Germany, Mr. Karacostas's extradition was sought under the provisions of the European Convention on Extradition. At the time the request was submitted to the German authorities, the Crown Prosecution Service was satisfied that there was a realistic prospect of conviction against Mr. Karacostas and his associates, and accordingly a request for extradition was submitted through the appropriate channels in accordance with the Convention.

Secondary information