Turkey Made No Extradition Requests to Bulgaria after Failed Coup - Ministry

Bulgaria's Justice Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva has said Turkey has not sent an extradition request to Bulgaria since June 28. File photo, BGNES

Bulgaria's Justice Ministry has said it has not received extradition requests from Turkey after the failed coup attempt in the country.

The statement from the ministry follows remarks by Turkey's top diplomat, Mevl?t ?avu?o?lu, who on Sunday said the country would demand the extradition of a person allegely linked to US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah G?len.

Though the minister did not disclose a name, erlier reports had suggested a man called Abdullah had arrived in Bulgaria before the coup and was a supporter of G?len, whom Ankara accuses of being behind the foiled coup.

In March, a Bulgarian court declined the extradition request coming from Turkey for Abdullah B?y?k, a businessman asking for political asylum in Bulgaria.

It was not immediately clear whether the Turkish Foreign Minister was referring to B?y?k.

But Justice Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva reiterated on Monday that the court had already made its ruling by turning down the existing request for the person named "Abdullah" (B?y?k) whose name coincides with the one mentioned by Turkey.

She confirmed no single request for Turkish nationals to be sent back had been filed with Bulgarian institutions since June 28, or several weeks before the coup attempt.

Zaharieva added the Bulgarian courts had already ruled on all four extradition requests submitted by Turkey since the beginning of 2016.

Extradition requests have to be handed in written form to either the justice or the foreign affairs ministry of the country, her ministry also noted. The Turkish Foreign Minister had said his country would send a delegation to Bulgaria to bring up the request. 

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