The Simon Wiesenthal Center today
welcomed the request for an arrest warrant against “Operation:
Last Chance” suspect Charles (Karoly) Zentai submitted this
week by the Hungarian military prosecutor to a judge in Budapest.
This is the requisite first step which must be taken before
Hungary can issue an official request for the extradition
of Zentai who currently resides in Perth, Australia. The
judge has 15 days to rule on the request.
“We welcome this step by the Hungarian military prosecutor,” said the Center’s
chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff who met earlier this
month in Budapest with military prosecutor Ference Nemesz
and other Hungarian Justice Ministry officials to submit
a list of potential witnesses in the Zentai case and offer
the Center’s assistance in the investigation.
Zuroff expressed cautious optimism
that Zentai would finally be held accountable for his crimes
and noted that the Center preferred that he be tried in Budapest,
the site of his crimes, rather than in Australia. “A trial
in Hungary, where the alleged crimes were committed by Zentai,
who served at that time in the Hungarian Army, would have
far greater significance in public terms than if he were
tried in Australia. In this regard, the educational and social
dimensions of such a legal process should not be underestimated,”
said Zuroff.
For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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