The Belizean Immigration Ministry has reportedly annulled the residence permit for Karol Mello, a Slovak fugitive who faces at least two charges for organising murders back in 2003 and 2004. The ministry claims that he received it under false pretences, the Belizean website Reporter.bz wrote on August 24.
Mello’s lawyer Godfrey Smith said that his client wants to stay in Belize and intends to do so, accepting any consequences that may follow.
Belize cannot extradite Mello to Slovakia, because it has no extradition treaty with the country. However, the government of Belize could declare him persona non grata, i.e. an unwelcome person, by executive decree, and there is no legal defence against that, the Reporter.bz wrote.
Mello was detained by Belizean police on July 11, as a result of a police operation organised by Interpol in cooperation with Slovak police. Although Slovak officials sought a quick extradition since he was arrested by immigration police, legal complications have kept Mello in Belize.
The court released him for the first time on August 3, but as soon as he departed from jail, the police arrested again him and charged him with violating two immigration laws pertaining to the invalid Slovakian passport he used to gain permanent citizenship in Belize, and perjury, as Mello had claimed he does not face any criminal charges in his homeland.
Yet, he was finally freed by the Belizean court on August 20 after the judge ruled that the charges were weak.
Source: reporter.bz
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By Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
