Former Agrokor Owner Will Be Extradited To Croatia

Croatian tycoon and former owner of indebted food giant Agrokor, will be extradited to Croatia after Judge Duncan Ouseley in London's High Court handed down his verdict on Thursday, making the first-instance verdict final.

Following the ruling, Todoric spoke to reporters outside of the court, saying he is "ready for anything, even for Remetinec", referring to the prison in Croatia's capital, Zagreb, where he will be held while the allegations against him are investigated.

"I admit, I'm a bit disappointed, but I'm continuing my fight," Todoric said.

Todoric is accused of various types of fraud while he was the owner of Agrokor, which he founded in 1976; the company is said to employ over 60,000 people and is of large significance to Croatia's economy.

He was accompanied in court by his lawyers from Croatia, as well as by his defence lawyer in the UK James Hines and Cherie Blair, the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

During the hearing, Hines spent an hour and a half arguing for Todoric not be extradited.

London's Westminster Magistrates Court in April this year ruled that there are no legal obstacles for Ivica Todoric to be extradited to Croatia. Todoric's lawyers had failed to prove that he was a victim of political persecution in his home country.

Todoric appealed the judgment. His lawyer Hines asked, at the hearing in September, for additional time to submit an application for appeal, claiming to have new evidence.

The founder and owner of the ailing Croatian company turned himself in to police in London in November 2017, when he was promptly arrested under a European arrest warrant issued against him.

Todoric was interrogated before Westminster Magistrates Court, and released later on bail...