Mindić’s extradition could take years, but returning diverted funds is more important for Ukraine, ILI Head for Apostrophe
Ukraine has sent Israel all the necessary requests for the extradition of Timur Mindić. The Ukrainian side can now wait for a response while continuing to work through diplomatic and political channels. Tetiana Khutor, Head of the Institute of Legislative Ideas, said this during an interview with Apostrophe TV.
“From a legal standpoint, Ukraine has done everything necessary to extradite Mindić. Now all that remains is to wait and try to ensure that Israel considers the requests,” the expert said.
According to Tetiana Khutor, the extradition process will depend not only on legal arguments. She stressed that Israel does not extradite its citizens, while the defense may also refer to the security situation in Ukraine and the conditions in which suspects are held.
“The issue of extradition is very complicated. In our case, it is further complicated by the circumstances of the country itself and Mindić’s Israeli citizenship,” the ILI Head explained.
Tetiana Khutor also called for focusing not only on bringing Timur Mindić back to Ukraine, but also on tracing and recovering funds transferred abroad as part of the alleged corruption scheme.
“What matters to us in this case is not only Mindić, but also the large sums of money. We need to find out where they are and how Ukraine can recover them,” the expert said.
She emphasized that returning assets to the state budget could become one of the most important outcomes of the investigation.
“Our task is to recover the assets that were taken out of Ukraine. For us, that would be the greatest victory,” the ILI Head stressed.
In her view, Ukraine should work simultaneously on extradition and strengthening international cooperation, while directing its main efforts toward the financial investigation.
“We need to strengthen the legal, political, and diplomatic components, but it is particularly important to invest resources in the financial investigation and the recovery of these funds,” Tetiana Khutor concluded.
Watch the full interview here: