Croatia Friday won the right to appeal to Australia's highest court to force the extradition of an ethnic-Serb former paramilitary leader who is accused of war crimes.

The Federal Court ruled in September 2009 that Dragan Vasiljkovic was not eligible for extradition.

But a panel of judges Friday ruled Croatia's lawyers should be allowed to argue against the decision to the High Court, a spokeswoman said. "Leave was granted to appeal in that matter," the High Court spokeswoman said. "They have now got to prepare and lodge their appeal documents, it would be a couple of months yet," she added, referring to when the case could be heard.

Vasiljkovic was born in Belgrade but is now an Australian citizen who goes by the name Daniel Snedden.
He walked free from prison last September after spending almost four years behind bars, when the Federal Court ruled he had established a "substantial or real chance of prejudice" if he was sent to Croatia for trial. 

Vasiljkovic (54) successfully argued that Croatian authorities were seeking to try him, in part, because of his belief that ethnic Serbs in Croatia's Krajina region have the right to self-determination. The ex-golf instructor was arrested in January 2006 after Croatia requested his extradition to face charges over atrocities during the nation's 1991-1995 war of independence from the former Yugoslavia, opposed by rebel Serbs.

Zagreb accuses Vasiljkovic of involvement in the torture and killing of Croatian civilians and prisoners of war in the rebel Serb stronghold of Knin in 1991 and the southern village of Bruska in 1993. He has denied committing war crimes but has admitted in media interviews to training Serbian recruits, killing in combat and interrogating enemy troops.

(AFP)