Monday, March 15, 2010

US court orders extradition of Hamesh Khan


VIRGINIA: A US court has ordered country’s State Department to extradite Hamesh Khan – the key accused in Punjab Bank scandal, to Pakistan.

Now, the US State Department will issue Surrender Notice to thrust the custody of Hamesh under the government of Pakistan within 6 weeks.

The extradition decision came following Hamesh Khan’s plea, which he put forward before a US court, requesting for allowance to fly to Pakistan in order to face cases, accusing him being involved in corruption and misappropriation in Bank of Punjab in Pakistan.

It may be mentioned, the former President Bank of Punjab, Hamesh Khan, is the key suspect wanted in cases of corruption and embezzlement in case of Punjab Pakistan.

His term as the President Bank of Punjab was challenged in Pakistani court being tainted with corruption of 9 billion rupees.

Hamesh Khan, who worked as a financial analyst for the U.S. Agriculture Department until January, is expected to admit today during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria that there is sufficient evidence to bring charges against him in a scheme to defraud the Bank of Punjab, which he headed.

A 1931 treaty between the United States and Britain was the basis for his arrest last December by the U.S. Marshals Service in his Washington, D.C., Agriculture Department office.

Pakistan inherited the treaty in 1947, when it and India became independent from Britain, and signed its own extradition treaty with the U.K. in 2007.

In court papers, Khan, who also headed Pakistan's second-largest stock exchange, contends he is a victim of political persecution. He said the U.S. treaty with Pakistan unfairly limits his ability to present evidence to rebut the charges.

Earlier, Stuart Sears, Hamesh Khan's attorney said: "We are not confident that the State Department will halt the extradition, but we hope they give us time to share with them what we know about Khan's involvement in this case, and to impress upon them our concerns about what could happen to him upon his return to Pakistan".

Following the US court’s order, the US State Department will issue Surrender Notice within 6 weeks which will allow handing Hamesh Khan’s custody over to the government of Pakistan.

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