Indonesia Prepares to Extradite Romanian

Indonesia on Thursday said it was preparing to deport a Romanian fugitive convicted of fraud, after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a decree permitting his extradition.
Interpol Indonesia chief Brig. Gen. Halba Rubis Nugroho confirmed Yudhoyono had signed the approval for the extradition of Nicolae Popa, who was arrested in Jakarta in 2009 on a warrant issued by Interpol.
“We are now in discussion with the related ministries to determine the date to send him back to his country,“ Nugroho said.
The ruling was warranted because Indonesia and Romania haven't agreed to an extradition treaty, a local newspaper reported. A Bucharest court in 2006 sentenced Popa to 15 years in prison for fraud in connection with the collapse of an investment fund, in one of the most sensational scandals of the post-communist Romania.
More than 100,000 people lost money they had invested in the National Investment Fund, and the Romanian state, which had guaranteed their investments, was forced to pay out compensation of more than EUR100 million ($143 million), the newspaper said. It said Popa has denied the charges.