Singapore hails German move to extradite Leeson

Singapore hails German move to extradite Leeson

SINGAPORE (Reuter): The head of a crime-busting agency pressing for Nick Leeson extradition to Singapore said yesterday it was pleased with a German court ruling in favor of the British trader's return to the island state.

Leeson, a 28-year-old Briton, has been held at a suburban Frankfurt jail since early March, when he was arrested at Frankfurt airport following a six-day international manhunt.

Commercial Affairs Department Director Lawrence Ang said in a statement that the CAD was pleased the court "is satisfied that the Singapore government has made out its case against Leeson for extradition" after examining evidence submitted by the CAD.

A German court yesterday ordered that he be extradited to Singapore to face trial. His lawyers said Leeson would appeal against return to the city-state, where his daring trading once made him a financial whiz-kid.

But his trades have also been blamed for bringing down Barings investment bank under a mountain of losses.

The appeal and the legal requirement for the federal government in Bonn to approve any extradition could delay for months a return by Leeson to Singapore, which wants to put him on trial for forgery and fraud charges.

If and when Leeson is finally returned, he can expect a quick initial appearance in court, but it could be longer before a full-scale trial begins.

Lawyer Ramanthan Palakrishnan told Reuters that it might be as long as two to three months, depending on how Leeson intended to plea and whether his lawyers asked for time to take full instructions and study the case.

"Eight weeks is the normal scenario in Singapore," and there could be additional postponements, Palakrishnan said.

Another attorney, Rajan Menon, said that there were too many variables in the case to speculate, but that he was "confident that the due process of law will take its course."

Other legal sources said earlier that Leeson's agents had already been seeking to line up a team of lawyers in Singapore to fight his case if he is extradited.

"He (Leeson) has approached several lawyers but nothing is confirmed yet," said one source. Another said Leeson's representatives had not spoken to his firm but confirmed that others had been "in discussions".

In Singapore, Leeson would face legal procedures based largely on an English model, but where cases are heard only by judges, not juries.

Trials are generally open to the public and media, but television and still cameras are not permitted.

Estimates of Leeson's likely sentence if convicted vary, but Singapore legal experts have dismissed a claim Leeson once made that he faces a minimum of 14 years in jail if convicted.