ATHENS – A former businessman ally who fled to Greece after accusing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of corruption will be extradited to Turkey to face criminal charges, ruled Greece’s highest administrative court, the Council of State.

That opened the door for the return of Ali Yesildag, 54, who had family and professional connections to Erdogan before turning on him and escaping to Greece, but found himself arrested in November 2023 by Greek border guards.

That was for unlawfully crossing into Greece at the Evros River border which is a favorite area for refugees and migrants trying to get out of Turkey too, and the arrest led to a Turkish prosecutor asking for his extradition.

He had been sentenced by Turkish courts to a total of 19 years and 23 months in prison for various crimes, including murder, kidnapping, and possession of weapons but he said it was a set up to get him for revealing alleged corruption.

In February, the Thrace Court of Appeals upheld Yesildag’s extradition to Turkey. He subsequently appealed to the Council of State to overturn the Deputy Minister of Justice’s decision to extradite him. Greece is in a detente with Turkey after Erdogan ratcheted down belligerence in favor of diplomacy.