Attorneys of Heftsiba CEO Yona demand to meet with their client <br><br> - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Mon., September 03, 2007 Elul 20, 5767

Israel Time: 12:32 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Print Edition

Diplomacy

Defense

Arts & Leisure

Real Estate

Jewish World

National

Advertising

Magazine

Week's End

Business

Opinion

Rosner's Domain

Anglo File

Books

Travel

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Last update - 03:56 03/09/2007

Attorneys of Heftsiba CEO Yona demand to meet with their client

By Roni Singer-Heruti, Haaretz Correspondent

VERONA - Attorneys for Heftsiba CEO Boaz Yona, arrested in Italy on Thursday, are scheduled to appear before the District Court in Venice today with an urgent request that they be allowed to meet with their client.

Since his arrest in a hotel near Verona, attorney Yair Golan and his Italian colleague, Daniela De Voan, have been unable to meet with Yona.

Only an Israeli consul has met with Yona since his arrest; he reported Yona is in good condition.

	Advertisement

One reason for the delay is that Yona's arrest took place prior to the weekend and Italian law requires that a judge approve a visit.

Yona, who has been on the run from Israeli authorities since early in August after the collapse of Heftsiba, a property development firm, was transferred yesterday from the the Verona jail to a holding center in Venice. He is expected to remain there until he is extradited to Israel.

The court proceedings this morning are primarily meant to ensure that the arrest warrant issued in Israel and distributed through Interpol is legal, binding and in accordance with the treaty agreements to which both Israel and Italy are signatories. Officially, Israeli authorities have not issued a request to their Italian counterparts for Yona's extradition.

Israel's extradition request is expected within days, and it will be backed with evidence from the police investigation into the Heftsiba collapse and the suspicions against Yona.

In today's proceedings, the Italian District Court judge is expected to remand Yona in custody. According to Italian law, it is possible to remand a suspect in custody for up to 30 days.

Yona is not expected to fight the extradition proceedings, attorney Golan said during the weekend, although it is possible that his client has changed his mind in the past three days.

However, another possible obstacle to Yona's extradition was raised: it is possible that the Italian police will want to investigate whether Yona violated any Italian laws. If so, only then will the extradition process begin.

Yona's wife, Tamar, and three children, are still living in a home near Verona, where they have stayed since fleeing Israel a month ago.

Attorney Yitzhak Ben-Menahem, Tamar Yona's attorney, expressed his outrage yesterday at reports claiming that police were able to locate Boaz Yona through the telephone interviews his client gave to Israeli media.

"She was presented as being a liar, but she is sticking to her version of events, that after her husband was declared a fugitive, he left her and disappeared and contacted her again only on the day he was arrested," Ben-Menahem said.

Tamar Yona's attorney also said that the arrest was made possible because someone who knew where Boaz Yona was hiding let it slip - and not because his client spoke on the telephone.

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Family affair
	Despite living within Qassam rocket range, the Menas say they lead happy lives.


	Present continuous
	Our Now gets shorter while I write and you read because someone is profiting.




1.	Job well done	09:06	\|	Marty Stein	03/09/07

2.	may he rot	10:44	\|	paul	03/09/07

Today Online


	Editorial: First, evacuate the outposts
	Responses: 14


	Yossi Sarid: Unlike Bush, Olmert still keeping friends close
	Responses: 3


	Jailed Fatah leader Barghouti slams Hamas' 'bloody coup'
	Responses: 36


	PM's peace initiative stirs dissent in Kadima ranks
	Responses: 39


	Haaretz.com TV: The old-new Jewish trend sweeping Manhattan
	Responses: 4

Rosner's Domain

* New guest: on Sex, God, Christmas & Jews

* WTR: Does Bush market a war with Iran?

* Reform leader to Muslim Americans: Fight opportunists who demonize you

* Blog & poll: Olmert and Abbas talking. Are you listening?

More Headlines
12:27 Qassam rocket lands near Sderot day care center


10:19 Olmert's peace talks with Abbas stir dissent in Kadima ranks


10:00 Nuclear whistleblower Vanunu appeals jail term for foreign ties


12:29 Comptroller unsure if he will act to prevent ouster of Zelekha


09:58 Lieberman calls for a panel on Palestinian W. Bank construction


11:56 Investigators from the Fraud Squad raid Sderot municipality offices


03:24 Solana: There is no potential for war between Israel and Syria


09:17 Jailed Fatah leader Barghouti slams Hamas for 'bloody coup'


08:33 Disagreements, lack of funds threaten plan to curb pollution


12:32 Two more suspects indicted for Kiryat Shmona murders last month


02:10 Reservist blocked from serving over erroneous drug accusation