Jul 24, 2008 11:30 am US/Eastern
Feds: Clock Is Ticking On Serbian Beating Suspect
Serbian Foreign Minister Said Country Will Not Extradite Basketball Player To States
Reporting
Jay Dow
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Miladin Kovacevic, who was recruited to play basketball for Binghamton University in upstate New York, was arrested after a May 4 fight at a downtown Binghamton bar that left student Bryan Steinhauer near death.
CBS
Bryan Steinhauer's parents plan to meet with reporters on Thursday to talk about the condition of their son. He's the young man beaten into a coma at a bar in Binghamton. His accused attacker escaped to Serbia, but U.S. officials are making new diplomatic demands to get him back.
The clock is ticking; U.S. officials issued an ultimatum to Serbian government officials, demanding the return of the 21-year-old fugitive Miladin Kovacevic within 10-days. The 6-foot-9 basketball player is accused of pummeling classmate Steinhauer during a May 4 bar outing. After Kovacevic made $100,000 bail, he fled the country with an emergency passport issued by a Serbian diplomat.
Steinhauer, 22, remains hospitalized.
"One thing is sure, we are not giving up. We are very hopeful that Kovacevic will be brought to justice despite what the Serbian foreign minister says," said Senator Charles Schumer.
Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said Kovacevic would not be sent to the U.S. to face charges of severely beating a fellow university student because Serbian law does not allow extradition of its citizens.
"Serbia is a sovereign and democratic country with an independent judiciary," Jeremic said, suggesting U.S. authorities should hand over the case file so Kovacevic could be prosecuted in Serbia.
"This case has dealt a serious blow to the already strained relations between Washington and Belgrade," Jeremic said, adding that next week during this visit to the U.S. he will apologize to American officials who have sought Kovacevic's return to a U.S. court to face assault charges.
Serbia's pro-Western government, which took office last month, has pledged to improve U.S.-Serbian bilateral relations that have been strained over U.S. recognition of Kosovo's independence.
Jeremic said Serbia is investigating two consulate staffers who were removed from New York after allegedly helping Kovacevic obtain emergency travel documents that helped him flee after being freed on bail.
Jeremic said that "initial" investigation shows they had breached discipline and that they will face unspecified consequences.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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