17 Mar 2009

Decision reserved over Pole's extradition appeal

4:56 pm on 17 March 2009

The Court of Appeal has reserved its decision in a case involving a Polish man fighting extradition to his homeland.

Slawomir Bujak is accused of criminal offending in Poland involving more than $1.5 million and has been battling against extradition for five years.

Mr Bujak's lawyer told the Court of Appeal on Tuesday that documents filed in support of the extradition failed to meet legal and human rights requirements.

Dr Frank Deliu also questioned the authenticity of original documents from Poland and the veracity of the translations provided to the court.

However, Crown lawyer Chris Lange said the documents, which had come from Poland, had been certified as true copies of the originals and there was no error in their translation.

Mr Lange also said there was a certificate on file from the translator confirming that he is a sworn translator in Warsaw.

The court refused permission for Dr Deliu to present fresh evidence, in which he said a Polish witness claimed that a police officer intimidated him into making a statement against Mr Bujak.