CLAIMS that hundreds of Nazi war criminals found refuge in Australia led to the establishment of a Special Investigations Unit in 1988 – an initiative that collapsed in disarray five years later, with no successful prosecutions and taxpayers $15 million the poorer. Nobody questions that men who committed some of the most heinous atrocities of the 20th century found sanctuary here: the problem was establishing evidence, and identifications, half a century later. Every year that passes makes this an even bigger ask.

But none of that means we should throw up our hands and abandon the quest for justice for the victims of arguably the worst humanitarian crimes history has seen. The case of Perth pensioner Charles Zentai, who has been accused of war crimes in Hungary, is unusual because there are more than the fading memories of survivors to accuse him: there are documents. Witnesses at the trials of two army officers convicted after the war of wantonly killing a young Jewish man, Peter Balasz, in 1944, identified Mr Zentai as a third culprit. He has always claimed he left Hungary before Mr Balasz was killed. But new documentary evidence revealed in The Weekend Australian shows that, when he applied for Australian citizenship in 1957, Mr Zentai said he was in Hungary until 1945. Given how much of Mr Zentai's defence has relied on the claim he was in Germany, this is telling.

Australia has never extradited an accused war criminal, but the Hungarian Government has asked for Mr Zentai, who has said previously he is happy to defend himself in a Hungarian court. Justice Minister Chris Ellison has a difficult one on his hands, but if he believes there is compelling evidence against Mr Zentai he should agree to Hungary's request. Survivors are dying and memories are fading, but the horror of what was done half a century ago looms larger than ever.

THE AUSTRALIAN, May 17, 2005