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Canada’s highest court refused to hear the appeal of a former Nazi guard fighting extradition to Italy.

Thursday’s ruling by the Supreme Court means Ukrainian-born Michael Seifert, 83, who has lived in Canada since 1951, is one step closer to being extradited.

Seifert was convicted in Italy in absentia in 2000 of killing prisoners at a Nazi transit camp in northern Italy in 1944-45. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Seifert has acknowledged being a guard at a Bolzano prison that held Jews and others headed to concentration camps, but denied murdering anyone.

A British Columbia court in 2003 said Seifert should be extradited to Italy. The ruling was upheld the following year by another provincial court.

The Canadian Jewish Congress has welcomed his deportation.

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