Staff Writer Ukrainian Weekly 13-Jun-1993 On the brink of collapse

Staff Writer Ukrainian Weekly 13-Jun-1993 On the brink of collapse

British war crimes effort set back, lacks evidence
JERSEY CITY, N.J., — The acquittal of Australian pensioner Ivan Polyukhovich by a Supreme Court jury last month is having a strong effect on war crimes investigations around the world. According to a May 26 article in the International Express, a London-based periodical, "Britain's most expensive police investigation, the worldwide hunt for Nazi war criminals, is on the brink of collapse."

The report, headlined "The Nazi hunters face costly defeat," was filed by Ian Henry and Oonagh Blackman, and suggested that many ministers in the British government were alarmed by the collapse of Australia's first war crimes trial, when a jury took under an hour to clear Mr. Polyukhovich of all charges. The report also mentions that the government had "pushed through the War Crimes Act against the advice of the House of Lords," and that "several eminent judges warned there was no realistic chance of fair trials."

The article referred to "senior legal sources in London" who said "Britain would be likely to face similar embarrassment if the courts proceeded with less than credible prosecutions."

Is is also suggested that after a two-year inquiry, a special investigative unit from Scotland Yard has been unable to collect enough evidence for a single prosecution. This has led government officials to question whether to go on with the effort, which has cost British taxpayers the equivalent of about $5 million (U.S.), and for which about another $15 million was set aside. A "senior Whitehall source" was quoted as saying, "We should step back and take stock. The prospects are not good."

In a related story, David Vinneau reported in the June 3 issue of the Toronto Star, that the Supreme Court of Canada began hearing an appeal that will "determine the fate of a criminal law that allows suspected Nazis to be brought to justice in Canada."

Imre Finta was acquitted in May 1990 of committing war crimes in Nazi-occupied Hungary, and the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld this decision in April 1992. However, according to Mr. Vienneau's report, the Canadian federal government has referred the case to the Supreme Court, asking it to order a new trial for Mr. Finta.

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