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Kyrgyzstan|business|September 3, 2015 / 09:20 AM
Retired Centerra Gold CEO held in Bulgaria faces extradition to Kyrgyzstan - report

AKIPRESS.COM - homeniuk Len Homeniuk, former Centerra Gold chief, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, is under house arrest in Bulgaria as he awaits a hearing to determine whether he will be extradited to Kyrgyzstan to face corruption charges, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The former Centerra Gold Inc. chief executive officer was arrested on an Interpol “red notice” while vacationing with his wife and son.

The State Department has been in touch with Mr. Homeniuk, who, along with his former firm, maintains Kyrgyzstan’s charges are unfounded. Kyrgyzstan and Bulgarian officials didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Homeniuk was first detained in Bulgaria in late July at Kyrgyzstan’s request.

“There is a process in place and we’ve been trying to gather enough international attention to observe this and make sure that they do follow their own protocols,” Mr. Homeniuk, 68 years old, said by telephone from the small apartment in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he is under house arrest. “I’m optimistic at the end of the day that Bulgaria will recognize not only my innocence but the fact that the Kyrgyz Republic is a place that is well known for its human rights violations.”

He said he is hoping to be cleared to leave soon, but fears the process could last several more months. Mr. Homeniuk described his month in captivity, including 14 days in prison and the rest under house arrest, as a “nightmare.”

“I am holding up and bearing with it,” Mr. Homeniuk said. “I am hoping there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Both the U.S. and Canada are providing consular assistance to Mr. Homeniuk and have been present at court hearings.

“The Department of State takes its obligation to assist U.S. citizens abroad seriously,” State Department spokesman Niles Cole said. “We continue to provide all appropriate consular assistance and remain in contact with him.”

The charges Mr. Homeniuk face in Kyrgyzstan relate to a 2004 deal between the Canadian firm and the Kyrgyzstan government concerning the company’s Kumtor mine in Kyrgyzstan. The 2004 deal included a corporate restructuring and new ownership agreement involving the Kyrgyzstan government.

In a hearing last Thursday, a Bulgarian court said the Kyrgyz government hadn’t provided enough information to justify Mr. Homeniuk’s detention and gave it until Sept. 10 to do so. A second extradition hearing will be held on Sept. 16.

Mr. Homeniuk was detained July 27 at the Bulgarian border after an arrest warrant that had been requested by Kyrgyzstan and issued by Interpol, the international police coordination agency, came up for him.

Mr. Homeniuk had learned of the warrant in December while traveling in Russia, and said he has avoided countries that have extradition treaties with Kyrgyzstan. He is in the process of appealing the warrant and expects to receive a hearing on it in September.

Before his July detention, he was on a long-awaited Danube River cruise and had passed through Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia and elsewhere.

“I checked out the countries and it didn’t seem that there should be any problems,” Mr. Homeniuk said, adding none had extradition treaties with Kyrgyzstan.

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