AJN STAFF

A GRANT of bail from the Federal Court has allowed accused war criminal Charles Zentai to spend Christmas with his family.

The Federal Court in Perth earlier this month ordered the 88-year-old to be released from prison, as he awaits the final decision on whether he will be extradited to Hungary to face charges over a 1944 murder.

Justice Neil McKerracher said Zentai was a low flight risk and granted bail for him, after the Commonwealth did not oppose a bail application from his lawyers.

Zentai’s legal team has successfully petitioned the Federal Court to review a decision by Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor in October, which approved a submission from the Hungarian government to extradite him to face court in Budapest.

The Perth resident is charged with involvement in the murder of Peter Balazs, a Budapest teenager, who he allegedly arrested for not wearing the mandatory yellow star.

Zentai is accused of bringing Balazs back to a military barracks where he was allegedly involved in beating the Jewish teen to death, before dumping his body in the Danube River.

Two Hungarian army officers were convicted shortly after World War II for their parts in the murder.

Zentai has denied the charges since they were laid in 2005, and claimed he was not in Budapest on the date of the murder.

He was located as part of Operation Last Chance, an initiative of the Israel-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre to bring ageing war criminals to justice.