Polish court orders alleged Israeli spy extradited
Legal World
A Polish appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower court's decision to hand over to Germany an alleged Mossad agent wanted in the slaying of a Hamas leader.
The decision means that the alleged agent, known as Uri Brodsky, must be handed over to Germany within 10 days. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.
Brodsky was arrested in Warsaw in June on a European warrant issued by Germany and charging him with espionage and helping to falsely obtain a German passport. The passport was allegedly used in connection with the Jan. 19 slaying of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.
A three-judge appeals panel upheld a July ruling by Warsaw's district court that Brodsky be extradited to Germany on the forgery charges solely. That means he can only be tried in Germany for forgery and not spying, which would spare Israel a possibly embarrassing espionage trial. It would also mean a lesser penalty if he is found guilty.
The lower court's ruling was appealed by Brodsky, who hoped to be freed and returned to Israel, and by state prosecutors seeking to have him extradited on both forgery and espionage charges.
Still, Thursday's decision appeared to be a compromise with something for both sides: Poland will extradite him to Germany but has ensured that he will face lesser charges.
"The decision of the court seems to be satisfying to all sides," said Anna Mika-Kopec, Brodsky's defense lawyer.
Related listings
-
Singapore arrests British writer for defamation
Legal World 07/19/2010Singapore has arrested a British author as part of a criminal defamation investigation related to his book on the city-state's death penalty policy, police said Monday. Alan Shadrake, 75, was in Singapore to promote the book and was arrested Sunday, ...
-
Appeals court sides with Iranian dissident group
Legal World 07/19/2010An Iranian opposition group has won a round in its long legal fight to get the State Department to stop classifying it as a terrorist organization. A federal appeals court on Friday ordered the State Department to reconsider its decision to keep the ...
-
UK court fines 5 firms for massive 2005 explosion
Legal World 07/16/2010A British court fined five companies a total of 9.5 million pounds ($14.6 million) Friday for a massive 2005 explosion at a U.K. oil depot that sent a huge smoke plume drifting across the European continent.Total UK, a subsidiary of French oil compan...
New York Commercial Litigation Law Firm - Woods Lonergan PLLC
Founded in 1993 by Managing Partner James F. Woods, Woods Lonergan PLLC has built a strong reputation as a resourceful and industrious firm that provides clients with clear, concise, and straightforward answers to their most challenging legal issues. Partner Lawrence R. Lonergan, who joined the firm in 2008, has been a friend and colleague to Mr. Woods for over 40 years and shares the same business philosophy. Woods Lonergan PLLC’s collective experience and expertise enables the firm to expeditiously and effectively analyze the increasing challenges clients face in an evolving business and legal world, in many instances, avoiding unnecessary time and expense to our clients. Our mission is simple: provide cutting-edge expertise and sound advice in select areas of the law for corporate and business clients. We thrive on providing each client with personalized attention, forceful representation, and a collaborative team effort that embraces collective knowledge.