Briton to be extradited to India
British businessman wanted for commercial fraud, bribery and money laundering
Michel is wanted for fraud, bribery as part of probe into a multi-million dollar helicopter purchase deal |
Dubai’s highest court yesterday approved India’s request to extradite a British businessman who’s wanted for commercial fraud, bribery and money laundering as part of investigations into a multi-million dollar helicopter purchase deal.
The Dubai Cassation Court upheld the appellate court’s decision to extradite 54-yearold British Christian James Michel to the Indian authorities despite having pleaded not guilty.
In February 2017, the Indian authorities lodged the extradition request before the Dubai Public Prosecution seeking to have Michel extradited over alleged fraud, bribery and money laundering charges.
“The extradition request was lodged by India’s Ministry of External Affairs and it should have been lodged by the Indian Home Ministry,” Michel’s lawyer Abdul Moneim Bin Suwaidan argued before the Dubai Cassation Court.
“As per the Criminal Extradition Accord signed between the UAE and India, the Indian Home Ministry is the authority that should have lodged the request,” the lawyer contended as his client was challenging the extradition decision.
Yesterday, presiding judge Abdul Aziz Abdullah dismissed Michel’s appeal and accepted that of Dubai prosecutors and upheld the Appeal Court’s to approve the extradition.
Last year, the extradition request for Michel was lodged and subsequently Dubai Police arrested him and handed him over to the Dubai Public Prosecution.
The case first came up for hearing in the Dubai court in July. Michel pleaded not guilty and refuted the accusations against him.
In September, the Dubai Appeal Court approved the extradition request.