Vietnamese student extradited

A Vietnamese student, Lee Vu, who is suspected of laundering, fraud and computer hacking in the U.S.A., will be extradited to that country, decided Minister Ivo Opstelten of Security and Justice. The decision bashes the student's hope of finishing his study. The court ruled it was up to the ministry whether a postponement was in order.

The student is disappointed, because he wanted to finish his study first. In the time it took for the court to reach its decision, the student was allowed to continue to go to school and was not detained. He saw no reason to flee. 'I just want to finish my study,' the student said, and 'this way they are ruining my future.' It was up to the minister to decide whether extradition would be a sign of 'undue hardship.' The American Prosecution pleaded with Opstelten that 'a postponed extradition would mean a postponed trial and negatively impact the quality of the evidence. A delay would also impact victims who would have to wait longer before claims for compensation can be evaluated,' wrote Opstelten in a letter to the House. Bart Stapert, Vu's lawyer, disagrees. 'The minister is unreasonably harsh. There is no urgent interest on the American side, but apparently the minister wants to satisfy the American authorities at all costs.'