Viktor Kozeny who is known internationally as the Pirate of Prague was once the darling of the ruling New National Party (NNP) government of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell.

Kozeny promised to transform the marina at the Lagoon for the administration by pouring millions of dollars into a project that would have seen the remains of Butler House, once used as the office of late marxist leader Maurice Bishop, upgraded into a five-star hotel.He threw expensive parties on board his luxury yacht for NNP government officials and was able to land a diplomatic passport from Grenada to travel around the world.

The Pirate of Prague often made his private jet available to Prime Minister Mitchell to take-off on overseas trip sometimes as far away as in Europe. Kozeny eluded law enforcement officials in the United States for many years until he was recently caught in the Bahamas where he is awaiting extradition to Washington to face a number of fraud-related charges.

Last Wednesday, Bahamian Magistrate Carolita Bethel again delayed making a decision on whether to grant bail to Kozeny who is a Lyford Cay resident in the Bahamas and also said that she was not sure if she had the legal authority to do so.

Magistrate Bethel instead adjourned the matter to Friday morning after Prosecutor Francis Cumberbatch said he had received unconfirmed reports that Kozeny - who is a citizen of Ireland and Venezuela - may be a citizen of a third country, which was not named.

The United States wants The Bahamas to extradite Kozeny to face trial there in relation to an alleged scheme to bribe officials of Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company. He was indicted in a New York court two weeks ago along with two other men.

Prosecutors in the Bahamas argue that because of Kozeny’s multi-citizenship he would be a flight risk if granted bail. Kozeny, a permanent resident in The Bahamas, is also a trained pilot, although it remained unclear whether his U.S.-issued pilot license is valid.

On Wednesday, Magistrate Bethel questioned whether she had the authority to grant Kozeny bail after she examined case transcripts and the Extradition Act. The hearing has dragged on for two weeks due to new information being presented.

Cumberbatch also addressed the question of whether Kozeny still has diplomatic status. He said he received two letters from officials of Grenada, which said Kozeny was appointed as an honorary consul to the Bahamas for Grenada.

Cumberbatch presented the court with a letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Grenada, which stated that Kozeny was appointed to the office on September 28, 1998 and was recalled on December 26, 1999. Cumberbatch also presented a letter from the director of financial intelligence in Grenada, which also confirmed that Kozeny had been an honorary ambassador for that country and had been in possession of a diplomatic passport.

According to Cumberbatch, the letter stated that Kozeny’s passport was seized in 2000 and his diplomatic status was revoked in 2003. On Friday when Kozeny addressed the court, he had said that to his knowledge he was still a diplomat.

Magistrate Bethel had said it was necessary to clear up the issue of Kozeny’s diplomatic status because diplomats are afforded certain privileges. After Cumberbatch revealed that Kozeny may have a third citizenship, Magistrate Bethel gave both sides time to confirm whether this was true.

Kozeny is being represented by Philip "Brave" Davis, but has other high-profile attorneys like Brian Moree on his legal team. Czech reporters were present at Wednesday’s hearing and more are expected when the hearing resumes on Friday.

At the end of Wednesday’s preceding, one of the reporters attempted to interview Kozeny in his native tongue, but police officers told them that it was not allowed.
The reporters told The Bahama Journal that Kozeny had indicated that he was okay.