Milenko Maric: Man extradited from UK over alleged war crimes

Police said Milenko Maric was living in Derby

A man has been extradited from the UK to Croatia in relation to alleged war crimes dating back more than 30 years.

Derbyshire Police said an International Arrest Warrant was issued for Milenko Maric by Croatian prosecutors in 2001 for "crimes against humanity".

The 63-year-old, who was living in Derby, was ordered to be extradited at Westminster Magistrates' Court in September 2022.

The force said the extradition took place on 5 April.

More than 100,000 people died during the Balkans war between 1991 and 1995.

Mr Maric, who is Serbian, is accused of being a member of a militia group that removed a number of civilians of non-Serbian ethnic origin from the Baranya region of Croatia and assaulted them during August and September 1991.

Mr Maric's extradition was originally ordered at Westminster Magistrates' Court in September

Court documents state Mr Maric, who has lived in the UK since 2000, previously stood trial for the same offences in Croatia in 2017 and was acquitted.

However, the acquittal was subsequently overturned by the country's Supreme Court and a retrial ordered.

Last year he opposed extradition from the UK on the grounds of ill health but this was rejected by a district judge.

Temporary sergeant Sarah Baker, from Derbyshire Police's international liaison unit, said: "We continue to work with law enforcement partners nationally and internationally to remove dangerous offenders, and ensure people are brought to justice."