Germany refuses to extradite Ergenekon suspect to TurkeyDecember 15, 2011 - 15:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's Justice Ministry announced on Thursday, December 15, that German authorities refused a request filed by Turkey to extradite Former Istanbul Mayor Bedrettin Dalan, who is being sought under an arrest warrant as a suspect in the Ergenekon case. Ergenekon is a clandestine organization accused of various crimes committed for the purpose of creating chaos in the country to trigger a coup. According to Today’s Zaman, the ministry's statement came on Thursday, two days after Dalan was spotted and photographed by a Cihan news agency reporter in the German city of Mannheim. The statement indicated that the ministry had already been informed that Dalan was in Germany as it says Turkey requested that Germany arrest Dalan and extradite him to Turkey in June. However, the ministry said, this request was denied by German authorities since aggravated life imprisonment is sought for Dalan in Turkey. Dalan, who escaped detention in a wave of arrests in 2009 because he was in the U.S., announced shortly after raids on his home that he could not return to Turkey because of a heart condition. The former Istanbul mayor was later seen in various European countries, and Interpol currently has a red notice out on him. Dalan, who owns the private Yeditepe University and İstek Foundation schools in Istanbul, is accused of carrying out activities within Ergenekon and of financing the organization. Eberhard Pohl, the German ambassador to Turkey, said on Wednesday that he had learned of Dalan's presence in Germany from Turkish news sources. "I am not in a position to say anything about this issue," Pohl told reporters in Ankara.
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