Extradition in anti-corruption cases: Klymenko says most complicated situation is in Austria

This was reported in an interview with Ukrinform by the Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Oleksandr Klymenko.

"I must admit that our authorities, former Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin, have done a tremendous job in this regard, and the process has moved forward. We now have better extradition rates from European Union countries. From January 2022 to January 2026, seven individuals involved in cases were extradited to Ukraine to face criminal charges," he said.

According to Klymenko, the authorities have created appropriate and safe conditions for detention in pre-trial detention centers during the war and have allowed representatives of different countries to inspect them, so that they can subsequently report on this to the ministries of justice of their countries. The Head of the SAPO noted that, given the war, courts abroad often refuse to extradite individuals to Ukraine.

He stressed that there are problems with extradition from some jurisdictions, primarily Austria.

"When we make progress on the extradition of certain individuals, for example, in the UK, they move to Austria. Most of the suspects we're looking for are staying here. In Austria, extradition requests are not usually considered on their merits. They refused at the first court hearing, citing the inappropriateness of considering our request because of the ongoing war in Ukraine. That is the first argument. There is also a fairly old report by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment," Klymenko said.

He added that the authorities invited representatives of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to Ukraine, and they came and inspected the detention center. Now the SAPO is awaiting a new report from the commission, which, Klymenko expressed hope, will note the good and safe conditions in Ukrainian pre-trial detention centers and will be taken into account by the courts of the countries where the defendants in the cases are hiding.

As reported, Ukraine is often denied the extradition of suspects due to the war and inadequate conditions in pre-trial detention centers and prisons. To address this problem, Ukraine has established five special detention centers and colonies to accommodate extradited persons. They are located far from the combat zone, in the Chernivtsi, Lviv, and Zakarpattia regions, and have renovated facilities.

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