AC-2024-LON-004257 - [2025] EWHC 2847 (Admin)

Fecha: 04-Nov-2025

The background

The background

Mr Frunza’s extradition is sought pursuant to an arrest warrant, which I shall refer to as “the Warrant”, issued on 21 November 2022 by Gaesti Law Court. I shall refer to the Respondent as “the Romanian Court”. The Warrant was certified by the National Crime Agency on 18 February 2023. Romania is a Category 1 territory and, consequently, Part 1 of the Extradition Act 2003 (“the 2003 Act”) applies.

I can take the facts relating to the offences from the District Judge’s judgment.

Mr Frunza first came to the UK in 2018.

ii)

Mr Frunza was present for his trial in Romania on 9 September 2021. He pleaded guilty to the following offences:

On 5 June 2017, driving two co-defendants to an address where they stole an unknown number of turkeys, which Mr Frunza later sold.

Driving the vehicle without a driving licence on that occasion.

Driving a vehicle without a driving licence on 30 November 2018, 19 May 2018, 31 May 2018 and 14 August 2018.

iii)

He was present when sentence was passed, which was for a total of 4 years’ imprisonment.

iv)

Before the sentence took effect, he left the country without telling anyone and did not return.

The District Judge found Mr Frunza to be a fugitive from justice, having deliberately placed himself beyond the reach of the Romanian Court’s legal process.

vi)

The District Judge also found that Mr Frenza deliberately left no means for the Romanian Court to communicate with him.

vii)

Mr Frunza has lived in the UK since 2018 with his partner, and begun to establish a new work and private life here from that point.