Court agrees to extradite alleged British fraudster to Dubai

Court agrees to extradite alleged British fraudster to Dubai: "The court approved the public prosecutor's request to extradite Michael Bryan Smith, 43, to the United Arab Emirates even though Thailand has no extradition treaty with the country.
The UAE Office of the Attorney General issued a warrant for Smith's arrest in August 2008 for allegedly cheating the Dubai-based Limitless Company out of 150 million dollars while working there as a human resource manager.
Smith will appeal the decision, his lawyer said. The British national has been living in Thailand since 2008.
'Although there is no extradition treaty between the UAE and Thailand, the UAE has said they intend to reciprocate on the case,' the Bangkok Criminal Court said in its ruling on the Smith case.
Thailand and the UAE are currently negotiating an extradition treaty but the talks have not been finalized.
The Thai government is known to be keen to have such a treaty in place to press for the extradition of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is living in Dubai.
'In the absence of an extradition treaty, courts can extradite on the basis of reciprocity,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said. 'So if we cooperate with the UAE on this matter (Smith), they should cooperate in a similar case,' he said.
Thaksin faces a two-year jail term in Thailand. In October 2008, the Supreme Court for Political Office Holders found Thaksin guilty of abusing his premiership in 2003 by allowing his wife to successfully bid on a plot of land in Bangkok at a government auction."

Posted in: Court agrees to extradite alleged British fraudster to Dubai