MOSCOW, April 15 (RAPSI) – Israeli Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked has signed an order on extradition of Russian priest Gleb Grozovsky who stands charged with sexual abuse of children, his lawyer Haim Azencott told RAPSI on Friday.
“The order was signed. It seems we can’t do much in this situation,” the lawyer said.
According to Azencott, the next move for Grozovsky’s defense is to ensure fair trial and humane treatment for his client by asking a court to encourage Israeli investigators to influence their Russian colleagues in this matter.
No comments from Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General of Israel are available yet.
According to Russian investigators, Grozovsky committed sex crimes against several minors in 2011 and 2013.
In 2013, he fled to Israel where he applied for citizenship. However, his application was dismissed.
In April 2014, Grozovsky was put on the international wanted list. Israeli police arrested him in September. In January 2015, a court in Jerusalem ruled that the priest should be extradited to Russia pursuant to the European Convention on Extradition.
The ruling was appealed. According to defense, the charges against Grozovsky are politically motivated and the Convention provisions could not apply to him.