Dubai court rejects Danish extradition request for financier

DUBAI

A Dubai court ruled on Sept. 12 that a British man suspected of masterminding a $1.7 billion tax scheme cannot be extradited to Denmark to face charges.

The decision in the high-profile case grants the hedge fund trader, Sanjay Shah, a victory against Danish authorities who sought him for his role in one of the country’s largest-ever fraud cases. Monday’s court ruling, which judges delivered without explanation, can be appealed by prosecutors within 30 days.

The elaborate tax scheme, which ran for three years beginning in 2012, allegedly involved foreign businesses pretending to own shares in Danish companies and claiming tax refunds for which they were not eligible.

“Of course we will try to get him [out] on bail now immediately,” Shah’s lawyer, Ali al-Zarooni, told The Associated Press from the Dubai courthouse.

The 52-year-old financier has maintained his innocence in past interviews with journalists but never appeared in Denmark to answer accusations. Al-Zarooni had contested the extradition, arguing in past closed-door hearings that Denmark had “breached” the rules of international extradition treaties in unspecified ways.

Shah’s lifestyle on Dubai’s luxurious palm-shaped island over the past few years had sparked outrage in Denmark. After Danish authorities signed an extradition agreement with the UAE, Dubai police arrested Shah in June. Shah is one of several suspects in the tax scheme sought by Danish authorities.