LONDON — A British court on Tuesday thwarted a Serb attempt to extradite a former Bosnian vice president arrested in London on war crimes charges.
Serbian authorities had wanted former Bosnian Vice President Ejup Ganic to stand trial for what they say was his role in a 1992 attack on Serb soldiers and have sought his extradition from Britain, where he was arrested in March.
Ganic and Bosnian officials have denied the charges, insisting they are part of a campaign to minimize Serb guilt in the 1992-95 conflict that tore the Balkans apart.
A judge at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court sided with Ganic, 64, throwing out Serbia's request.
"I have not been provided with any new evidence that could be described as striking or substantial," Judge Timothy Workman said. "These proceedings are brought and are being used for political purposes, and as such amount to the abuse of process of this court."
Ganic was released.
Serbian deputy war crimes prosecutor Bruno Vekaric said in Belgrade that Serbia would appeal.
"We respect any British court ruling, but we have the right to appeal, which we'll do," Vekaric said. "We will try to get the answers that are bothering the families of more than 60 victims."
However, it was unclear how an appeal would be carried out, particularly since Ganic is leaving the country.
British authorities arrested the former leader at London's Heathrow Airport in March on a Serbian warrant accusing him of ordering an attack on a convoy of retreating soldiers in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, in the opening days of the Bosnian civil war. The U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague had earlier dismissed the allegations that war crimes were committed during that attack.
Ganic said after Tuesday's hearing that Belgrade used the British legal system to divert attention from its part in the Bosnian conflict.
"They abused the system here, and kept me here for five months," Ganic told reporters. "They are messing around in the international scene to cover up the war crimes they are responsible for."
The former leader's arrest has reignited tensions between former foes Bosnia and Serbia, which have been making slow progress toward reconciliation after the end of the conflict. The two sides still heatedly dispute responsibilities in the conflict, and thousands of Bosnians gathered in March in Sarajevo to accuse Serbia of lying about its history.
Bosnians expressed relief at Tuesday's decision.
"Justice has finally been done," Haris Silajdzic, Chairman of Bosnia's Presidency, told The Associated Press in Sarajevo. Zeljko Komsic, a Bosnian Croat member of the collective Presidency, welcomed the verdict, describing it as "another blow to the policy of Greater Serbia."
Ganic's daughter Emina burst into tears as the verdict was read out, hugging her father and brother. Her brother, Emir, said: "We're all extremely satisfied. This shows how dishonest the Serbian prosecution was."
He said his father would fly back to Bosnia on Wednesday.
Serbia's war crimes prosecutor, Vladimir Vukcevic, maintained that there was no abuse of process on their part and added that he needed to review the judge's decision in detail.
Associated Press Writer Aida Cerkez in Sarajevo contributed to this story.