European Arrest Warrants Ensuring an effective defence a JUSTICE report European Arrest Warrants Ensuring an effective defence JUSTICE – advancing access to justice, human rights and the rule of law JUSTICE is an independent law reform and human rights organisation. It works largely through policy-orientated research; interventions in court proceedings; education and training; briefings, lobbying and policy advice. It is the British section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). JUSTICE relies heavily on the help of its members and supporters for the funds to carry out its work. For more information visit www.justice.org.uk. JUSTICE, 59 Carter Lane, London EC4V 5AQ 020 7329 5100 [email protected] www.justice.org.uk © JUSTICE 2012 ISBN 978 0 907247 54 8 Designed by Adkins Design Printed by Short Run Press Ltd European Arrest Warrants: ensuring an effective defence JUSTICE Contents Chapter 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................7 Chapter 2 Recommendations ...........................................................................................................10 Chapter 3 Methodology ...................................................................................................................18 Chapter 4 Analysis of Case Questionnaires .......................................................................................21 Chapter 5 Conclusions .....................................................................................................................34 Chapter 6 Denmark .........................................................................................................................46 Chapter 7 Germany .........................................................................................................................54 Chapter 8 Greece .............................................................................................................................64 Chapter 9 Ireland .............................................................................................................................76 Chapter 10 Italy ..............................................................................................................................88 Chapter 11 Netherlands .....................................................................................................................99 Chapter 12 Poland ...........................................................................................................................113 Chapter 13 Portugal .........................................................................................................................123 Chapter 14 Sweden .........................................................................................................................135 Chapter 15 United Kingdom ............................................................................................................142 Annex 1 Grounds for refusal in the EAW Framework Decision .....................................................164 Annex 2 Statistical information on the operation of the EAW ......................................................166 Annex 3 Pro formas used in the project .......................................................................................173 3 JUSTICE European Arrest Warrants: ensuring an effective defence Acknowledgements This report was researched and written by Jodie Blackstock, Director of Criminal and EU Justice Policy at JUSTICE, with invaluable assistance of JUSTICE interns Barend van Leeuwen, Vasileios Fragkos, and Lena Donner. We would like to offer our particular thanks to Jonathan Mitchell of the European Criminal Bar Association for all his assistance in setting up the project, helping with the methodology, locating lawyers and reviewing progress. We also thank the International Commission of Jurists Secretariat in Geneva for their assistance in locating the EU sections and legal officers Róisín Pillay and Massimo Frigo for their assistance in devising the methodology. The project team have all given their time for free in conducting the project over the past two years and the project would not have been possible without them. The members are set out in the table at the end of this chapter. Particular thanks go to the Portuguese team for their time consuming and detailed efforts undertaken in reviewing files at the General District Prosecutor’s Office in Lisbon, and Professor Christoph Safferling for visiting the General Prosecutor’s Office of Nuremberg. We are most grateful that the following were willing to be interviewed for the project and provided thoughtful and helpful information: State representatives interviewed Anders Nielsen, Head of Extradition Office, Ministry of Justice, Denmark Dr. Ralf Riegel, Ministry of Justice, Germany Reinhold Wenny, Senior Prosecutor of the General Prosecutor’s Office, Nuremberg, Germany Argiro Eleutheriadou, Head of Directorate on International Judicial Cooperation, and Mr Stalikas -Head of the law making department, Ministry of Justice, Greece Mr Angelis, Senior Prosecutor, PPCA, Greece Raymond Briscoe, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ireland Billy Keane, Criminal Law Reform Division, Department of Justice and Law Reform, Irish Government Mr Eugenio Selvaggi, Head of Department of Justice Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Italy Marjorie Bonn, Ministry of Justice, Netherlands Ms Marlèn Dane, Head of EU Division, European and International Affairs Department, Ministry of Justice, Netherlands Mr Igor Dzialuk – Deputy Minister of International Relations, Poland Tomasz Darkowski, Director of the Mutual Legal Assistance section of the Ministry of Jusitce, Poland Anne-Marie Kundert Smith, Crown Advocate, Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, Crown Prosecution Service, England and Wales David Dickson, Extradition Team Leader, International Co-operation Unit, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Scotland 4 European Arrest Warrants: ensuring an effective defence JUSTICE Defence lawyers interviewed or providing questionnaires John Kahlke, Demark Dr. Margarete von Galen, Germany Ewa Lilliesköld, Sweden Ouriana Karantinou, Greece Vassilis Arvantis, Greece Mr Scalia of the Criminal Law Committee, Bar Council of Rome, Italy Rachel Imamkhan, Netherlands Onno Van der Lee, Netherlands Cristina Ventura, Portugal Andrea Tavares, Portugal Paulo Araújo Ferreira, Portugal Filipe Falcão Oliveira Paulo Silva Santos, Portugal Maria do Rosário Caldeira, Portugal Anabela Anão, Portugal Silvino Mendes, Portugal Florentino Marabuto, Portugal Pedro Dias Louro, Portugal Paula Santos Morgado, Portugal Charlotte Powell, Extradition Lawyers’ Association, UK Ben Keith, UK Special thanks must also go to the General District Prosecutor’s Office in Lisbon in allowing us to have access to the case files. Without this, we would not have managed to obtain so much data. The views mentioned in the Portuguese report are solely those of the Portuguese team and the defence lawyers and are not opinions expressed by the General District Prosecutor’s Office. JUSTICE is grateful to the EU Commission JPEN 2009 programme for assisting us in funding the project. The views expressed and suggested outcomes in the report are those of JUSTICE and not the Commission. We take full responsibility for its contents, including any opinion, error or use made of the information contained herein. 5 JUSTICE European Arrest Warrants: ensuring an effective defence Participant Country Organisation Capacity Mike Evans England Kaim Todner Lawyer Niall McCluskey Scotland Connarty Advocates Lawyer Dr Adam Górski Poland Reviewer Prof Zbigniew Lasocik Poland ICJ Poland Reviewer Anna Demenko Poland Reviewer Mikołaj Pietrzak Poland Pietrzak & Sidor Spolka Jawna Lawyer Dominika Stepinska-Duch Poland Wardynski and Partners Lawyer Janus Tomczak Poland Wardyński and Partners Lawyer Ida Søholm Denmark ICJ Reviewer Jesper Nymann Nielsen Denmark Advokatfirmaet Schack Lawyer Thorkild Høyer Denmark Nyhavens Advokaterne Lawyer Kåre Pihlmann Denmark Forsvars Advokat Lawyer Bas Leeuw Netherlands NJCM/Erasmus School of Law Reviewer Jozef Rammelt Netherlands Kaiser Advocaten Lawyer Claudia Dirkzwager Netherlands Korver-vanessen Lawyer and Marielle van Essen Thom Dieben Netherlands Jahae Advocaten Lawyer Franco Vella Italy ICJ Reviewer Jean Pascal Obembo Italy ICJ Reviewer Paolo Iorio Italy Studio Legale Internazionale Lawyer Massimiliano Testore Italy Studio Legale Testore Lawyer Helen Ranelius Sweden ICJ Reviewer George Pyromallis Greece Georgios D. Pyromallis Law Office Lawyer Ilias Anagnostopoulos Greece IAG Lawyer James MacGuill Ireland MacGuill & Company Solicitors Lawyer Dara Robinson Ireland Garrett Sheehan and Partners Lawyer Catherine Almond Ireland Garrett Sheehan and Partners Lawyer Prof Christoph Safferling Germany Philipps-University Marburg Reviewer Oliver Wallasch Germany Wallasch & Koch Lawyer Dr Oliver Kipper Germany Kipper & Durth Lawyer Vania Costa Ramos Portugal Carlos Pinto de Abreu Reviewer e Associados/ECBA Maria Antónia Araújo Portugal Carlos Pinto de Abreu Lawyer e Associados/ECBA Miguel Santos Almeida Portugal Carlos Pinto de Abreu Trainee e Associados/ECBA 6 Chapter 1 Introduction The Council Framework Decision on the European arrest warrant and the surrender procedures between member states of 13 June 20021 had an implementation date of 31st December 2003. After a few years of teething problems concerning conflict