JusMin Predoiu, Italian Ambassador discuss cooperation on extradition procedures

Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu met on Friday with Ambassador of the Italian Republic in Bucharest Alfredo Maria Durante Mangoni, and the discussions focused, among other things, on cooperation between the two countries on extradition procedures.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on Friday, the agenda of the meeting included bilateral judicial cooperation in the area of criminal law.

"Without prejudice to the independence of the judiciary in Romania and Italy, the Justice Minister stressed the bilateral and European interest in the rigorous application of the Council Framework Decision of June 13, 2002, on the European arrest warrant and the turn over procedures between member states. In this context, the Justice Minister welcomed the decision of the Italian Prosecutor General to request a re-examination of the extradition case concerning Romanian citizen Ionel Arsene, who has received a final sentence, and thanked the Ambassador for this," the press release points out.

The two officials agreed on the usefulness and necessity of continuing dialogue on the issues under discussion, including at ministerial level, the source said.

The Ministry of Justice expresses its "interest" and "hope" that the Italian authorities will locate and arrest Darius Valcov, who has been given a final prison sentence, as soon as possible.

"The Ministry of Justice will carry out, as it has done so far, all its legal powers with regard to any Romanian citizen issued a final criminal sentence against, until the full implementation of the decisions of the Romanian justice system, regardless of how long these procedures take," the press release reads.