Türkiye urges Greece to extradite 3 crime suspects

ANKARA

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has called on Greece to extradite three suspects sought by Türkiye, including Ramazan Bayğara, the alleged leader of the Bayğaralar organized crime group, during talks with his Greek counterpart, Yorgos Floridis.

During a video-conference on Sept. 1, Gürlek discussed the cases of Bayğara, Nedim Sorguç and Ali Yeşildağ, emphasizing the importance of enhanced judicial cooperation between the two neighboring countries in tackling cross-border organized crime.

Floridis said Greek courts ruled in favor of extraditing all three suspects, with the Greek government subsequently approving the decisions.

However, he noted that the extraditions of Bayğara and Sorguç have been put on hold due to interim measures issued by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Bayğara, whom Turkish authorities describe as the head of the Bayğaralar crime network, was arrested in Greece after being placed on an Interpol Red Notice over allegations of founding a criminal organization and committing intentional homicide