No exact figures are available, but according to senior officials, the Supreme Court and the federal prosecutor issued slightly more than 50,000 pardons.

Early in the investigation, local prosecutors had issued a subpoena duces tecum for records from the union officials.

It remains unclear why the prosecutor first issued and then withdrew the arrest warrant.

In 1999, Russian prosecutors issued a warrant for his arrest including charges of embezzlement and money laundering.

The prosecutors had issued letters to the dealers indicating they faced imminent indictments.

But then one of them pointed out that the prosecutor had not issued a subpoena for the documents.

On December 28 of that year, a prosecutor issued an arrest warrant against him.

A prosecutor will not issue a charge sheet unless someone has been arrested.

Today's decision effectively means that prosecutors can issue international arrest warrants and apply for a suspect's extradition, he said.

Albanian prosecutors immediately issued arrest warrants for six members of the Republican Guard over the three deaths.