From The Age:
Accused war criminal has case adjourned
March 16, 2007Extradition proceedings against a Perth man accused of being a Nazi war criminal have been adjourned again.
Hungary wants to try Charles Zentai, 84, over allegations he tortured and murdered 18-year-old Jewish man Peter Balazs in Budapest while serving in the army during World War II.
Zentai was due to face extradition proceedings last year in the Perth Magistrates Court but these stalled when he joined alleged Irish fraudster Vincent O’Donoghue in a federal court challenge.
The pair have argued that state magistrates do not have the constitutional power to deal with extradition.
Under federal law, extradition applications from foreign countries go before state magistrates, who assess their validity before referring them to the federal attorney-general or justice minister for final adjudication.
The Federal Court Justice Antony Siopis rejected the pair’s argument last September but their appeal will be heard by the full bench of the federal court.
Magistrates court proceedings were on Friday adjourned until May 30.
Zentai has denied the allegations brought against him by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, an international Jewish human rights organisation.
Outside the court, Mr Zentai said he was still struggling with health concerns.
