– This has been a living nightmare, the weeping woman explained in the district court today. Three years ago, the special case for women in their 40s started. When she was stopped at the passport control at Bergen Airport Flesland, she was told that in 2014 she had been convicted of sending a little over 34 grams of cannabis from Spain to Greece. The incident is said to have happened in 2010. But the woman had never heard of this before she was stopped at the checkpoint. She later learned that Greek police had requested that she be arrested and extradited to the country. Here she had been summoned and convicted, without her knowing it. Crying during the entire court hearing The woman in her 40s explained herself at the court hearing in Bergen today. She cried continuously throughout the meeting. After she was arrested, she had to report to the police in Norway twice a week. The woman explained that she was afraid to fall asleep every time she went to the police. She feared that someone would think she had slipped away if she did not make it. – Not a thug The woman’s defender, Jørgen Riple, says that it has been tough to follow the woman in recent years. – Even though this is a criminal case, I do not look at her on a thug. This is a great person and mother, who until this happened was in a good job. She is crushed. I just hope she gets up again. He emphasizes that she does not know the letters, she is convicted of sending. Greece has a minimum sentence of eight years for drug imports. He believes that she would be fined for the same relationship in Norway. – There are two different worlds, it’s pretty sick, says Riple. Defender Jørgen Riple describes the woman as broken. – She has lived for several years with the fear of being arrested and put on a plane to Greece, he says. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news Opened for extradition This is due to a fairly new law: the European Arrest Warrant Act, which came into force in November 2019. Prior to this, Norway did not extradite its own nationals abroad, except to the Nordic countries. Norwegians who have been convicted abroad will now be sent there to serve their sentences. The Arrest Warrant Act means that the Norwegian authorities shall not take a position on, or consider, judgments handed down in other European countries. But treat them as their own. The agreement also has retroactive effect. On Thursday, the ruling came from Hordaland District Court: The woman will not be extradited to Greece. “The conditions for extradition are not present”, the district court ruled when news was present. The background is that the woman had not been made aware of the time and place of the trial, and therefore could not defend herself. Aftenposten and Bergens Tidende have previously mentioned the case. A Norwegian woman in her 40s has been sentenced to eight years in prison in Greece for sending cannabis in letter form into the country. Photo: Bjørnar Morønning / NTB The new arrest warrant law on 1 November 2019, an agreement on arrest warrants between Norway and the EU entered into force. Prior to this, Norway did not extradite its own nationals to countries other than the Nordic countries. In short, the agreement means that the member states must arrest and transfer suspects or convicts to the country that has issued an arrest warrant, so that they can be brought before the court or serve a sentence there. In order for this to happen quickly, short deadlines have been set for making a decision and carrying out the handover. It is up to the prosecuting authority to decide whether or not to comply with an arrest warrant. The agreement means that the countries recognize each other’s legal system as their own. Therefore, neither the prosecution nor the court should try the concrete evidence in the case. A court shall only assess whether the conditions for surrender have been met. As early as June 2006, Norway entered into a parallel agreement with the EU on the extradition of offenders, but it took 13 years before it entered into force. There is no national overview of the number of cases in which Norwegian citizens have been handed over pursuant to the Arrest Warrant Act. Source: Government / news Police: – Not nice Police lawyer Linn Mari Søfteland in the West police district thought that the woman should not be extradited to Greece, because she did not know about the verdict. – What I react most to in this case is the disproportionate punishment. It is a long sentence for sending some drugs, she says. The prosecution has asked if the woman can try her case again in Greece, but it was rejected. Police attorney Linn Mari Søfteland in the West police district does not hide that she has had sympathy with the accused. – It’s a boring case, obviously. This is about a desperate woman who risks having to serve eight years in Greece. It’s not nice. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news Avoiding imprisonment in Norway Because the court ruled that the woman cannot be deported, she should not serve time in Norway either. – Then we are done with the case, says Søfteland. – Since the verdict is pending, why do you still think that she should not be extradited? – When you have a person who does not know that you are suspected or convicted of a criminal act, and does not get the opportunity to appeal or say his version of the case, then it is not right to hand over, Søfteland says. The police attorney has thought the case has been demanding, and does not hide that she has had a lot of sympathy with the accused. – She has long been a name on a piece of paper. When I saw her today, and saw how marked she was, I think it was a bit tough, she says. Dare not go on holiday Even though the court has ruled that the woman should not be deported, the fight is not over. The verdict is still final in Greece. The woman is therefore afraid to move outside the borders. – This is a woman who has lived for several years with the fear of being arrested and put on a plane to Greece. We hope that she will have the opportunity to travel outside Norway’s borders, says Riple. The ex-girlfriend and his brother are said to have received the letters, and were convicted together with her. They are said to have escaped prison. news has recently focused on the consequences of the European arrest warrant agreement.
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The woman has been sentenced to eight years in prison in Greece. Now she can be sent there to serve her sentence – news Vestland
