The Council of State has approved the extradition of 54-year-old businessman Ali Yesildag to Turkey, ruling it lawful and in accordance with European and Greek legislation.
Yesildag, who previously had close family and professional ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and later accused him of corruption, was identified by Greek border guards in November 2023 after illegally crossing the Greek-Turkish border in a rural area of Feres.
Following his identification, Greece received an extradition request from Turkey to enforce a June 1, 2022 decision by the Bursa court. Yesildag had been convicted under the Turkish Criminal Code for multiple serious offences, including deliberate murder, armed robbery, and illegal possession of weapons, which align with equivalent crimes under Greek law.
The Thracian Appeals Council initially supported Yesildag's extradition, and this decision was upheld by the Supreme Court in February. Yesildag appealed to the Council of State to annul the Deputy Justice Minister's decision, but the Council of State rejected his claims and confirmed the decision to extradite him to Turkey.
Read more: Greece-Turkey relations