ECtHR: Slovak Courts Had Sufficient Reasons, to Extend Dutch Citizen’s Detention

Bratislava, 13 June (TASR) - The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that the Slovak courts had valid and sufficient reasons to extend the detention of a Dutch citizen prosecuted in Slovakia for drug trafficking, and therefore the detention cannot be considered excessively long, the Slovak Justice Ministry announced on its website. The European Court of Human Rights noted that the national courts justified the complainant’s detention since he didn't have regular residence in either the Netherlands or Slovakia, his personal and business ties, including contacts outside the EU, and his financial resources. They also considered the organised nature of the crime, which involved smuggling a large quantity of drugs through Slovakia to several other countries. The complaints concerned criminal proceedings in Slovakia against a Dutch citizen accused of drug trafficking. In October 2020, after being extradited from the Netherlands, the complainant was taken into custody by Slovak court. The complainant told the ECtHR that his detention was too long and unfair, that the court deciding on his detention was biased, and that his right to be presumed innocent was violated. He was held in custody for almost two years and three months before his trial. lin