ANTALYA (A.A) - 17.05.2002 - Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk said on Friday that extradition process of Fehriye Erdal, one of the suspects of killing of businessman Ozdemir Sabanci, would not change with the Belgian captured in Istanbul.
Turk responded to the questions of reporters following ''Annual Forensic Medicine Evaluation 2002 Meeting''.
Turk said Turkey had demanded extradition of Fehriye Erdal from Belgium, stressing that Erdal was not extradited to Turkey because of existence of death penalty in Turkey.
Recalling that Erdal was sentenced to death penalty under Article 146 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), Turk said that all the countries which are members to the European Union (EU) and Council of Europe lifted death penalty.
Turk said even if death penalty has not been carried out in Turkey for years, existence of death penalty in laws prevented Turkey's efforts in fighting against crime organizations.
''Existence of capital punishment constitutes an obstacle for us when a person, who committed crime in Turkey, shelters a country which lifted death penalty. Thus situation of Fehriye Erdal will not change as a Belgian was captured in Istanbul,'' Turk said.
Justice Minister Turk also pointed out that, ''however, Sabanci family filed a suit in Bruges Court against Erdal for the crimes she committed in Turkey. We should wait for the decision of this court. This has nothing to do with the case opened against Erdal in Turkey. This is an individual case opened by Sabanci Family. This aims at providing Erdal's trial in Belgium.''