British authorities approve extradition of former Greek judge involved in bribery and money laundering

A former judge playing a key role in a criminal ring that involved bribery for favorable court decisions will be extradited to Greece, it was announced on Thursday.

Antonia Ilia had been sentenced unanimously by a five-member criminal appeals court to 13 years for participating in a criminal network operating at courts, and specifically for money laundering. She fled Greece in 2005 and lived in England, blocking every attempt to extradite her to Greece to face a jail sentence.

She was arrested and jailed in May 2011 by British authorities and released in December 2012 under restrictions and the obligation to wear a tracing bracelet. Among her efforts to avoid extradition, she asked British authorities for political asylum.