Alleged Nazi criminal in Australian police custody

"PERTH, Australia — An 88-year-old man accused by Hungary of Nazi war crimes during World War II surrendered to Australian police Thursday after exhausting his appeals against extradition.

Australian citizen Charles Zentai is accused by the Hungarian government of being one of three men who tortured and killed a Jewish teenager in 1944 for failing to wear a star identifying him as a Jew.

Zentai, who emigrated to Australia in 1950, says he is innocent and was not in Budapest when the slaying occurred.

He was taken to Perth's Hakea prison on Thursday after surrendering, two weeks after the Federal Court granted him a 14-day stay on a ruling that allowed his extradition to Hungary."

Read more here:

The Associated Press: Alleged Nazi criminal in Australian police custody

 

How public are these trials? It will be interesting to see how these sorts of trials are conducted so long after the war.

 

One wonders why he even bothered surrendering? I will almost bet he only did so because he probably has some incurable disease and is about to kick the bucket.

 

Maybe he wants to repent? Or perhaps he thinks by cooperating with authorities he can get a more lenient sentencing if he is guilty? Public opinion?

 

he should repent himself for his sins

 

No telling. It could be that or, it could be a case of him still having the "last laugh" by dying in Prison and he would get a free burial.

 

Seems like a worst case scenario.

How good are German service records kept? Can't a rough timeline of a unit/person's movement be confirmed using them? I keep hearing mixed things, some say they were largely destroyed during the bombing of Berlin at the end of the war but attempts are being made to "reconstruct" them, others claim they are kept and third one I've heard is since it involves war they don't keep them.

 

And it might be a combination of any motivations, including wishing to be buried in Europe and not Australia. With the "suspicion" of a war criminal past, be may not have been able to be "repatriated" to the contenient, or buried in the family plot.

Just a thought.

 

I never thought of it like that, perhaps he also wants to close the book on his past, aka not die with any doubt in the air, whether he did it or not I don't know, but I have faith in the justice system. (hopefully)

 

Another link:

Crime Scene KC

 

i heard hes actually hungarian himself but then again aussies here really dont care and was only in the news for 5 mins........literally. sad really