A Hungarian appeals court has ruled that Oliver Karafa should be returned to Canada to face charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with a shooting in Stoney Creek, Ontario.
Warrants have been issued for the arrest of Karafa, along with his co-defendant, Yun (Lucy) Lu Li, following the Feb. 28 shooting that left Tyler Pratt dead.
The 39-year-old man was found shot dead on Arvin Avenue. A 26-year-old woman was also seriously injured.
Detectives said Li and Karafa, who are both from Toronto, left for Eastern Europe within 24 hours of the shooting.
The Budapest Metropolitan Court previously claimed that Karafa was the shooter.
The two traveled through several countries, including Slovakia and the Czech Republic, before arriving in Budapest, Det.-Sgt. Jim Callender previously told reporters, describing their departure from Canada as “unusual”.
But as Li returned to Canada on July 12, Karafa was fighting extradition.
The Budapest-Capital Regional Court of Appeal announced its decision in a press release shared on Wednesday.
He upheld the lower court’s decision and ruled that the conditions for Karafa to be returned to Canada were met.
Karafa raised concerns about the trial
The Toronto man had argued that his “life and physical integrity” and that the right to a fair trial could not be guaranteed if he was detained in Canada, according to the appeal court.
Karafa hired a private investigator, and his attorneys attempted to use photos, media reports, and other documents to allege that Pratt “had extensive criminal connections and that his associates wanted revenge.” [his] death,” he said in his statement.
The court said he also made “corruption and felony” allegations against Hamilton Police and the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre.
Arguments rejected by the court
But the court rejected Karafa’s arguments following a response from Canadian judicial authorities that outlined steps to be taken to ensure the defendant’s safety and an accused’s rights.
“All this ‘evidence’ cannot even be considered in itself as objective, reliable, accurate and sufficiently up-to-date information on the conditions of detention” in Canada, he declared, referring to the defense of Karafa.
He ordered that the items confiscated from him be turned over to Canadian authorities.
The statement also mentions an attempt to extradite Karafa to Slovakia, the country where he was born, but said the court found it was not possible to do so.
He went on to say that even though Pratt has criminal ties, there is no reason to stop the extradition for security reasons.
“The criminal relationships are not bound by national borders, which means that the defendant would be safe in virtually no country in the world,” the statement said, before adding: “The court has therefore correctly and lawfully established that the conditions for extradition have been met and have ordered the arrest for surrender of the accused.”
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