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Ukrainian Extradited from Thailand
Thailand seems to be a favorite place for people to flee to when charged with crimes in their home country. However, choosing Thailand as a country to flee to is not necessarily the best choice.
In fact, Thailand regularly returns fugitives to their home countries on the basis of outstanding criminal records or the extradition process. Additionally, Thailand requests extradition of persons charged with criminal offences from foreign countries as well. Recently, news reports have revealed an increase in extradition cases in Thailand. Here is a sampling:
Last week, a Ukrainian citizen was extradited from Thailand. According to NJ Today, 33-year-old Maksym Shykarenko was charged with numerous child exploitation charges.
Shykarenko allegedly founded and operated a child pornography website supplying more than 560 American consumers with troubling images of children being sexually assaulted and abused. He was arrested while on holiday in Phuket in 2009 and has been fighting against being extradition but to no avail.
Extradition for Alleged Bangkok Bomber
ZEE News reported that Masoud Sedaghat Zadeh, who was allegedly involved in the triple bomb attack in Bangkok earlier this year, is in the process of being extradited to Thailand.
The Iranian will face a hearing later this month with an extradition application by authorities. However, Zadeh’s counsel, Mohd Nashir Hussin, has asked for time to file an affidavit. Zadeh is currently being held in Kuala Lumpur and the application states that a warrant of arrest was issued against Zadeh by the South Bangkok criminal court in February, which is still in effect.
Extradition Hearing of Murder Fugitive Postponed
Accused murder Fugitive Lee Aldhouse is facing a return to Thailand after he allegedly stabbed American Deshawn Longfellow to death in Phuket then fled the country according to the Phuket Gazette.
After trying to re-enter the UK, Aldhouse was arrested at Heathrow Airport on an unrelated charge. While Aldhouse may soon be facing the Thai law system, the UK High Court has decided to postpone the extradition hearing. Aldhouse filed an appeal stating that conditions in Thailand’s prisons infringed on human rights.
UK Home Secretary Theresa May was in favor of allowing Aldhouse’s extradition but since his appeal, the High Court judges have ruled that the claims were worthy of at least being heard postponing any immediate return to Thailand.
Financier Jailed in Thailand
Reuters reported that an Indian financier who has been fighting off extradition attempts from 1996, when he was arrested, to 2009, has been sentenced to jail in Thailand.
According to the website Rakesh Saxena, 59, was found guilty of five counts of securities fraud which “siphoned off tens of millions of dollars” from the Bangkok Bank of Commerce, where he was an advisor.
Saxena had argued that Thai investigators had no real evidence against him stating he would be subject to torture and killed in extradited. Now back in Thailand the former financier faces 10 years in jail for his massive embezzlement.
The Saxema case has been a major news story in Thailand for over a decade. Saxema managed to fight the extradition case filed against him from exile in Canada for several years. Now, old and disabled, Saxema is finally headed to a Thai prison.
Assange Extradited to Sweden from the UK
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made headlines when he allowed the release of hundreds of classified government documents to the public. Now he is back in the news as the UK court backs his extradition to Sweden for his alleged sex offenses.
Reuters reported that while Britain’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of Assange’s extradition to Sweden his lawyers have two weeks to contest the ruling and any extradition will be put on hold until Assange decides to challenge the decision.
It is also possible for Assange to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights. If this is successful he could have the extradition process put on hold meaning it could be months before a verdict is made.
