Romanian Justice Ministry: We've taken all necessary actions in Omar Hayssam case, but Syria didn't reply to our request

The Romanian Justice Ministry announced on Friday, March 12, that it has taken „all the necessary actions” in Omar Hayssam’s case, requesting Syria to answer the commission request made by the Romanian court in May 2009. The exchange of information between the Romanian Justice Ministry and the Syrian Arab Republic Justice Ministry were both tête-à-tête and through diplomatic channels, but so far the assistance request has not been answer, the Romanian Justice Ministry informs. The statements follow press items addressing Romania’s actions in the Omar Hayssam file.

According to the Romanian Justice Ministry, „in the case of Omar Hayssam, the Justice Ministry has taken all the necessary actions, according to its legal competences, addressing specific requests for an answer to the rogatory commission’s request formulated by the Romanian court in May 2009 to the Syrian Arab Republic Justice Ministry. (…) So far, the mentioned request did not receive an answer”.

„We indicate that the Justice Ministry or any other Romanian authority or institution can interfere and order measures regarding certain acts’ enforcement or the execution of assistance requests on another state’s territory. This would mean a breach in the non-intrusion in other’s state’s internal affairs principle.”

According to the operating law, the Justice Ministry can request the extradition of a person after he/she is traced/arrested on the basis of an international wanted mandate, „and the competent court rules out a grounded conclusion, considering the extradition conditions to be fulfilled. Note that the Justice Ministry does not have legal competences to trace a person”, the communiqué adds.

Organised Crime and Terrorism Investigating Authority (DIICOT) chief prosecutor Codrut Olaru declared on March 5 during a press conference addressing DIICOT activity report for 2009 that Omar Hayssam lives and that the arms traffic file was being prepared.

Judicial sources claim that Omar Hayssam is retained in Syria.

Omar Hayssam has been convicted in Bucharest, in his absence, to serve 20 years in prison for being involved in the kidnap of three Romanian reporters in Baghdad in 2005. The reporters have been held captive for 55 days.