Runaway Romanian investor and former MP Sebastian Ghita, who was arrested in Belgrade last week, will be brought back to Romania after the courts verify the extradition’s legality, justice minister Tudorel Toader said on Tuesday.

“Under the law, the courts in Romania that issued the arrest warrants must verify in an emergency procedure if the legal conditions for requesting extradition are met,” the minister said, reports local News.ro.

Once the courts send their decisions, the Ministry of Justice will start the extradition procedure.

“I want to say that the Justice Ministry has already prepared that procedure, but we’re waiting for the court’s conclusions to get on with it. Until then, the law obliges us to wait. Imagine what it would mean if we failed to respect the procedure. It would be invalid, and those who have the interest to take advantage of it would do so,” the minister added.

Sebastian Ghita, a controversial Romanian businessman and former MP, disappeared on December 21 last year after breaking the terms of the judicial control. The national police put out an APB (all-points bulletin) and alerted border checkpoints. On January 10, the High Court of Cassation and Justice issued a European arrest warrant on his name. He was internationally wanted by Interpol.

Ghita is being prosecuted in five criminal cases in Romania. The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has charged him with use of confidential information, bribery, buying influence, and blackmail.

The Serbian authorities announced the Romanian Police that Sebastian Ghita was arrested for 18 days on April 14, in order to be extradited, according to a statement from the Police. The Romanian Police thus informed the Ministry of Justice as this is the institution that has the power to start the extradition proceedings.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com