Justice Ministry: Nothing prevents Montenegro from seeking Safet Kalić's extradition from Germany

Podgorica, Montenegro (4 February 2015) -- Due to a large number of mostly unfounded daily media queries about the proceedings being conducted against Montenegro’s national Safet Kalić in Germany, Montenegro's Justice Ministry issued the following press release. 

Ministry of Justice had earlier requested Austria to extradite Safet Kalić to Montenegro. Austrian authorities stated that, according to the German warrant, an European arrest warrant had been issued in order to hand him over to the German authorities with a view to conducting criminal proceedings for criminal acts of illicit trafficking in narcotics in an organised manner, and that the competent regional court in Vienna had ruled that Safet Kalić should be handed over to Germany.

European arrest warrant is binding upon the member states and points to their direct communication.

Handing over Safet Kalic to Germany does not prevent Montenegro from requesting his extradition for the purpose of ensuring his presence before the country’s judicial authorities.

Austria has approved Safet Kalić's extradition to Montenegro, without seeking subsequent approval from the country’s authorities, as prescribed by the rule on specialty under the European Convention on Extradition.

Montenegrin Justice Ministry has no jurisdiction to notify the Montenegrin nor any other interested public about the proceedings conducted against Montenegrin citizens in another country for the acts he/she is suspected of having committed in that country. However, it will seek for information about the course of these proceedings in order to file a request to Germany aimed at ensuring Kalic’s presence for conducting proceedings in Montenegro, in line with the regulations established between Montenegro and Germany in the field of international legal assistance in criminal matters.

Safet Kalić was arrested on 20 October 2014 in Austria on an international warrant issued by the NCB Interpol Podgorica in 2011 upon the request of the state authorities of Montenegro. He is suspected of having run a large money-laundering scheme in the period 2006-2011 by taking up loans in Montenegrin commercial banks and paying them back with illegal money, attempting to create an impression of money’s legal origin.