Cohen (L) during hearing
Photo: AP
Arrested judge in Peru: I have no legal problems in Israel
Dan Cohen asks court to place him under house arrest; representative of Israeli Embassy in Lima urges court to grant extradition request due to his alleged involvement in number of corruption cases
Peruvian Judge Julio Cesar Diaz Paz is expected to decide in the coming days whether to grant Dan Cohen's request to be placed under house arrest, the local El Comercio newspaper reported over the weekend.
Cohen, a former district court judge, was arrested in Peru last week on suspicion of fraud and accepting bribes while serving on the Israel Electric Corporation's board of directors. He has been living in Peru since 2005.
During the first court hearing on Israel's extradition request, a representative of Israel's embassy in Lima called on Peru to grant the extradition request due to Cohen's alleged involvement in a number of corruption cases, adding that the former judge will get a chance to prove his innocence in Israel.
Israel and Peru do not have an extradition treaty.
Cohen during his arrest (Archive photo: Reuters)
During the hearing, the prosecutor backed Israel's extradition request, saying it would give Cohen an opportunity to clear his name.
Cohen's attorney, Ivan Torres La Torre asked the court to deny the extradition request, saying the allegations against his client were unfounded.
Cohen, for his part, told the court that he was innocent and had no legal problems in Israel. The former judge added that he was suffering from bad health but would not try to avoid the legal proceedings against him.
Judge Paz is expected to rule on the matter in the coming days and then submit his recommendation to Peru's Supreme Court, which could either cancel the arrest order or extradite Cohen to Israel.
