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Fugitive former senior officials Elena Udrea and Alina Bica of Romania were apprehended by police in Costa Rica on Wednesday night.
The Judicial Investigation Agency with the Interpol Costa Rica Central Office, in collaboration with the National Intelligence and National Security Directorate (DIS), after investigation and monitoring stopped two Romanian women aged 44 at the request of the Romanian authorities, according to sitiooij.poder-judicial.go.cr.
A red alert was issued on Udrea in the Interpol database for bribery and abuse of office, issued by Interpol Bucharest. According to the source, Udrea was allegedly arrested on a public road, around 10:00hrs, local time, in the Sabana Oeste sector. A red alert on Alina Bica was issued in the Interpol database for bribery and corruption, also issued by Interpol Bucharest. She was arrested around 14:00hrs, local, on a street in Sabana Este.
Both were placed in the custody of the San Jose Criminal Court for appropriate action.
Justice Minister Tudorel Toader said in June that the extradition procedure from Costa Rica is possible, even if Romania does not have a bilateral treaty in this respect.
"Extradition is possible even if we do not have a bilateral treaty with Costa Rica. (...) The sentenced person to be extradited has to be internationally wanted (...) which is ordered by the International Police Co-operation Centre at the request of the court issuing the arrest warrant," Toader explained.
According to the minister, Romania does not have a bilateral treaty with Costa Rica in the field of extradition, but co-operation in this area can take place on the basis of international courtesy, ensuring reciprocity or on the basis of multilateral conventions to which both countries are a party.
He also said that the deadline for the completion of the extradition procedure is set by the Costa Rican legislation.
Udrea was sentenced on June 5 by the Supreme Court of Justice to six years in prison for bribery and abuse of office in relation to a boxing bout, under a final and binding sentence.
A five-judge panel of the Supreme Court overruled the appeal filed by Udrea and the other defendants, and the sentence handed by the court of first instance was sustained.
Udrea has been in Costa Rica since the beginning of 2018, where she recently gave birth to a girl.
Former head of the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terror (DIICOT) Alina Bica was sentenced on June 26 by the Supreme Court four years in prison in a case in which she was accused of aiding and abetting in a case implicating former Minister of Economy Adriean Videanu, who was finally acquitted by the same court.
