The case of Karol Mello, a fugitive who has been charged with having organised at least three murders in Slovakia, is not closed for the Slovak police despite the fact that the authorities in Belize have confirmed his permission to reside there, said Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák. He added that the case will end only after Mello is “handed over to justice”, the TASR newswire reported.
Kaliňák also said that the ministry would continue in its efforts to have Mello extradited to Slovakia. However, there is no extradition treaty between the two countries.
“There are several other possibilities which we are trying,” said the minister, as quoted by TASR.
Kaliňák noted that investigators at least now know where Mello is and said that he might now receive official mail from the Slovak courts. Mello was on the run for several years before being arrested in Poland in 2010. A Slovak court subsequently released him in 2011, after which he went on the run again, only to turn up in Belize earlier this year.
Justice Minister Tomáš Borec said that Slovakia had sent Belize an official request for extradition and said he would not comment further on the case until his department received a response.
The Belizean authorities revoked Mello’s permanent residency on August 28 on the grounds that he had applied for it under false pretences. Mello submitted an invalid passport with his application and stated that he was not wanted in his home country for any crimes. However, a court in Belmopan ruled on September 17 that Mello should have his permanent resident status restored, TASR wrote.
Source: TASR
For more information about this story please see: Karol Mello gets permanent residence restored
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
