In response to today’s decision by a Perth, Australia court to reject an appeal by suspected Hungarian Nazi war criminal Charles Zentai against his extradition to Hungary to stand trial for the murder of 18 year old Jewish boy Peter Balasz in Budapest on November 8, 1944, the Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff issued the following statement:

“I obviously am pleased that his appeal was rejected but Zentai still has the possibility of appealing to the Supreme Court which  might again delay the process for who knows how long, which is exactly what his family wants, since their goal is to prevent a trial at all costs.

“I am hopeful that these technical delays, which have absolutely nothing to do with the serious accusations against Zentai, will come to an end as quickly as possible and that justice can finally be achieved at long last.

That is the minimum that the Balasz family deserve and that should be a primary consideration for the Australian authorities.

“In this case and others like it, it is important to keep in mind that the suspect may be elderly now, but when he was in the prime of his life, he is accused of devoting his strength and energies to the commission of a most heinous crime.”

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)