Calle Jonsson

Calle Jonsson (born 9 June 1983) is a Swedish citizen born in Långträsk, Piteå who was arrested in July 2001 on the Greek island of Kos, accused of attempted murder. His case is one of Sweden's most known and reported criminal cases in modern times.

Detention and first trial

Jonsson was arrested on the island of Kos on 26 July 2001, accused of attacking Christoforos Serdaris—a waiter from Thessaloniki, Greece—while on holiday. Serdaris lost consciousness after he had been stabbed five times in the thigh, and three times in the chest and abdomen. Jonsson denied all charges against him from the time he was arrested. He was in custody until February 2002 when he was released on bail and returned to Sweden. In November 2003, a Swedish court ruled that he must return to Greece to face trial. Jonsson's family told the newspaper Aftonbladet that Serdaris had sought a payoff of kr 160,000, and began the legal proceedings when the family refused to pay. Jonsson decided not to attend the trial, as he said he did not trust the Greek justice system.

In the autumn 2004, Greece decided to have Jonsson extradited to the country via a European arrest warrant. The Swedish Supreme Court granted the request in November 2004. The request marked the first time Sweden was compelled to extradite a citizen under a 2004 law requiring European Union member states to trust each other's legal systems. An earlier extradition attempt had failed when Greece's parliament did not ratify the European arrest warrant legislation.