Petar Pantic 30, is believed to have bought a one-way ticket to Serbia - a country with no extradition arrangements with Australia - at a time when he was due to appear in an Adelaide court on unrelated charges of importing pornography. federal Government may be forced to request the extradition of a key "person of interest" in the cruise ship death of Dianne Brimble after the man fled Australia.
The Adelaide Magistrates Court last week heard that police had been unable to find Mr Pantic to serve a summons on the charges of importing a prohibited item and making a false statement to a customs officer.
Australian government solicitor Rosie Sidey, who appeared to present the case against Mr Pantic, yesterday said she was unable to comment on the prosecution's position concerning Mr Pantic's whereabouts.
She told the court last week a fresh summons would be sought "if and when" Mr Pantic returned to Australia. No extradition treaty exists between Australia and Serbia, but if Mr Pantic does not return, the Attorney-General's department could seek a provisional arrest through Interpol or directly from Serbia.
A spokesman for the Attorney-General's department said there was nothing to stop the Australian Government requesting a citizen's extradition.
Mr Pantic was allegedly caught with six DVDs of hard core pornography at Adelaide airport after returning from Singapore in September last year.
He faces a possible maximum fine of $22,000.
Andrew Moffa, who represents Mr Pantic as well as Dragan Losic and Luigi Vitale - also named in the Brimble inquest - said he had not spoken to Mr Pantic recently.
He said Mr Losic and Mr Vitale remained in the country.
A spokeswoman for the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions said the Brimble case was still being considered, after it was referred from the Coroner in July.
Mark Wilhelm, Leo Silvestri, Ryan Kuchel and Matthew Slade shared the Pacific Sky cabin where Brimble died, the rest of their party - Mr Losic, Mr Pantic, Mr Vitale and Charlie Kambouris - were in another cabin nearby.
Mr Pantic told the inquest Mr Wilhelm had sex with Brimble in his cabin after she took the drug known as fantasy on the night of her death in September 2002.
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