The Swedish government announced yesterday that it has decided to extradite a man wanted for fraud to Turkey, the first case since Turkey demanded the extradition of some people in return for allowing Stockholm to formally apply for NATO membership.

In June, NATO member Turkey lifted its veto on requests by Finland and Sweden to join the North Atlantic alliance after weeks of tense negotiations during which Ankara accused the two Nordic countries of harboring – what Turkey said to be – militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which have been outlawed in Turkey.

As part of the deal, Turkey submitted a list of people it wants Stockholm to extradite, but Ankara has since expressed frustration at the lack of progress.

The man, aged around 30, will be the first known case of extradition to Turkey since the agreement was reached.

“This is a normal routine issue. The individual in question is a Turkish citizen and was convicted of fraud offenses in Turkey in 2013 and 2016,” Justice Minister, Morgan Johansson, said in a text message to Reuters.

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“The Supreme Court has examined the matter as usual and concluded that there are no obstacles to extradition,” he said.

A spokesman for Sweden’s Justice Ministry declined to say whether the man was on the list of people Turkey has asked Sweden to extradite or to comment further on the matter.

Swedish broadcaster SVT, which was the first to announce the release, reported that the man has been sentenced in Turkey to 14 years in prison for several bank card fraud cases.

The man, who has been held in Sweden since last year, claims he has been wrongly convicted because he converted to Christianity, refused military service, and has Kurdish roots, SVT reported.

Sources: APA MPA, Reuters

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