Thread: Supreme Court of Canada rules to extradite Rakesh Saxena

Supreme Court of Canada rules to extradite Rakesh Saxena
November 11, 2008 : Last updated 07:08 am

The Attorney-General is trying to accelerate the extradition process to bring Rakesh Saxena back to face charges of bank fraud after the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled for Saxena's extradition.

But Saxena is appealing the Supreme Court's verdict, by claiming that his safety would be at risk if he were to be sent back to Bangkok during this time, according to Sirisak Tiyaphand, the director-general of the Foreign Division of the Attorney-General, said.

Saxena fled for Vancouver, Canada in 1996 after the collapse of the Bangkok Bank of Commerce, which cost the government's bailout of more than Bt100 billion.

nationmultimedia.com

Fugitive banker battles 2010 deadline when Thai charges run out
Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Rakesh Saxena was wheeled into a Vancouver courtroom yesterday in his latest bid to remain in Canada.

The fugitive Thai banker, right, who suffered a stroke in March, is wanted in Thailand to face charges of allegedly stealing $88-million from the Bangkok Bank of Commerce.

He was first arrested in B. C. in 1996, and was initially ordered committed for extradition in 2000.

In 2006, the extradition order was suspended while Ottawa reconsidered his case after a military coup in Thailand.

Last December, the federal justice department reaffirmed the extradition order.

This week, Mr. Saxena is representing himself before the B. C. Court of Appeal.

This week's hearing is scheduled for five days, and if he loses, he can appeal again.

Under Thai law, the embezzling charges against him will have to be dropped if he isn't brought to trial in Thailand before July 20, 2010.

nationalpost.com

Time to face the music

If he is extradited, he'll be released on bail and it will take another 12 years for the case to clear the first court, appeal court and supreme court. I don't think he'll be too worried.

Saxena expected to be extradited
24/06/2009

Thai authorities are eagerly anticipating success in their long-fought battle to extradite fugutive former bank financier Rakesh Saxena to face charges of embezzling huge sums of money from the failed Bankgok Bank of Commerce (BBC).

Veerachart Sriboonma, director of the Legal Proceedings Office of the Bank of Thailand, said on Wednesday the final decision now rests with the Supreme Court of Canada.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal on June 13 rejected Saxena's appeal against extradition.

Rakesh has appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, which is expected to make its decision in August, Mr Veerachart said.

Thai officials involved in the case believed there was an 80-90 per cent likelihood his last-chance appeal would fail and he would be sent back to Thailand to face trial.

Saxena, a former adviser to the Bangkok Bank of Commerce was charged in absentia in May 1996 with embezzling about US$72 million from the bank.

The fraud helped precipitate the bank's collapse in 1995, a major factor in Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s.

Police issued a warrant for his arrest in June 5, 1996.

Saxena was later arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the British Columbia ski resort town of Whistler.

Since then he has been under house arrest, free under strict conditions, back in custody then free again but with limitations, as he has fiercely fought all extradition proceedings.

In May, Saxena appealed against an extradition order issued by Canada's justice minister.

The court declined to overturn the minister's decision and Saxena took his case to the Canadian Supreme Court.

bangkokpost.com