Serb ‘war criminal’ extradited to Croatia

AFP/SydneyA Serbian war crimes suspect known as “Captain Dragan” was handed over by Australia to Croatia yesterday to face allegations of torture and murder after battling extradition for a decade.Dragan Vasiljkovic, a paramilitary commander with a Serbian rebel group opposed to Croatia breaking away from Yugoslavia, is wanted on charges relating to Zagreb’s 1991-1995 war of independence.The Belgrade-born 60-year-old, who has Australian citizenship, has previously denied committing war crimes but told media he trained recruits, killed in combat and interrogated enemy troops.Canberra approved his extradition in 2012 and The Australian newspaper, which first revealed his identity in 2005, said he would be put on a plane in Sydney for Croatia.The Australian Attorney-General’s Department confirmed he had been “surrendered to the Republic of Croatia pursuant to an extradition request made in 2006”.“Criminal proceedings against Mr Vasiljkovic in Croatia are a matter for Croatian authorities,” it added in a statement.Vasiljkovic is the first accused war criminal Australia has successfully extradited.Lawyer Darko Stanich told Australia’s SBS radio that a court in Split had appointed him to represent Vasiljkovic, known as Daniel Snedden in Australia, and he expected to meet him today after his transfer from Sydney to Zagreb.Vasiljkovic was first arrested in Australia in 2006 after Zagreb requested his extradition and he spent nearly four years behind bars until the Federal Court blocked his surrender over possible prejudice in Croatia’s justice system.He was released on bail in September 2009 but went missing the following March, after a court cleared his extradition to face Croatian justice.He spent more than 40 days on the run before police tracked him down to the New South Wales north coast and sent him to a Sydney prison. He has been battling the extradition request from there until a few months ago, The Australian reported.