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.