DR RAIS BIN SANIMAN
SPEAKING NOTE
1.
The Hong Kong Government have been seeking the extradition from the Republic of France to Hong Kong of Dr Saniman to face serious charges of conspiracy to defraud and corruption.
2. The allegations against Dr Saniman concern very substantial advances made by Bumiputra Malaysia Finance Limited ("BMFL"), a deposit taking company in Hong Kong, of which he was a director to companies trading in Hong Kong. The evidence shows that between December 1979 and March 1983
advances totalling approximately US$ 800 million were made to these companies in fraudulent circumstances. During the same period corrupt payments exceeding HK$ 260 million were
paid to the directors and staff of "BMFL".
3. Dr Saniman was first arrested in 1987 following a request for his extradition to Hong Kong.
On 4th November
1987 the Chambre d'Accusation declined to make an order
recommending extradition and Dr Saniman was discharged. Following discussions between lawyers for the Hong Kong Government and senior officials in France, a second request for Dr Saniman's extradition was made by the Governor of
Hong Kong based upon new facts. On 30th October 1990 the Chambre d'Accusation sitting at Versailles made an order recommending Dr Saniman's extradition to Hong Kong in
respect of five charges. On 12 March 1991 the Cour de Cassation dismissed Dr Saniman's appeal against the order of
the Chambre d'Accusation. The papers then went to the Minister of Justice who decided a year later to overturn the extradition decision on the grounds that some of the offences were not extradition crimes, and that on the others, the second request disclosed no new elements in the
Case.
JH1AWB/1
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