Two Slovenians who have been accused of being behind the illegal trade in steroids for sportsmen and women have won a stay of execution on an extradition warrant that would have seen them sent to the United States.
Lawyers acting for the pair managed to convince the Austrian constitutional court that the couple's extradition to America should be delayed because of serious issues about the length of sentence and the procedure involved.
The Slovenian couple were arrested shortly before New Year in Carinthia on suspicion of being behind an international doping ring and the extradition for today – Friday – was approved by the Austrian justice ministry.
The value of the trade organised by the couple was estimated at being around 40 million (mn) Euros and they were arrested in a villa in Bad Kleinkirchheim.
The arrest warrant against the pair has been in existence since spring 2010 after it was filed in the United States at the regional court in Massachusetts.
The lawyer for the pair, Roland Grilc, said that he had raised a complaint with the constitutional court and that it had been accepted.
He said: "At the end of the day charges against them here were dropped a long time ago and an extradition on the same charges is against their constitutional rights. And in addition they face 40 years if convicted in America and that is certainly excessive."
The woman, 33, who has three children has now again been released on a 250,000 Euro bail. Her husband, 36, is still in jail.
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