Sydney: An 88-year-old alleged Nazi war
criminal facing extradition to Hungary was granted bail by an
Australian court on Wednesday.
Charles Zentai, who is accused of beating a Jewish
teenager to death during World War II, was granted bail by a
federal court judge in Perth.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor approved Zentai's
extradition in November, stressing the move was no indication
of guilt and giving the elderly man two months to appeal
against the decision, Australian news agency AAP reported.
Zentai, who had been living quietly in Western Australia,
is accused of the 1944 murder of Peter Balazs, 18, in Budapest
while serving in the army of his native Hungary, then allied
with Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany.
Zentai, who emigrated to Australia after the war, denies
the accusation and claims he was not even in Hungary at the
time of the murder.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 18:43