proceedings, which may take several months.
Yona fled the country after the collapse of The Heftsiba Construction Company and to avoid criminal charges. An international warrant was issued for his arrest by Interpol and he was finally located and apprehended in Italy in late August 2007.
Police investigating Heftsiba's collapse say Yona will likely be charged with fraud, conspiracy, theft, falsifying corporate records and corporate offences.
Yona's legal team has vehemently fought against his extradition, claiming he feared for his life and the safety of his family should he return to Israel, where he said gray market creditors are lying in wait.
Yona recently claimed in an interview to an Italian newspaper that he was a "political victim of the banks and the government's policy changes." He accused the State of Israel of betraying him.
As for the claim that the crisis emerged after he decided to launch a construction project beyond the Green Line, Yona blamed the previous government for encouraging construction in those areas. "The new centrist-leftist government cut those funds and caused serious damage," said Yona.