MINISTER
OF
STATE
Our Ref: PO 4741/91
Dear Mr Churchill,
HOME OFFICE
QUEEN ANNE'S GATE
LONDON SWIH 9AT
1- 1 MAR 1991
Thank you for your letter of 19 February enclosing one from Mr Kevin Cahill of 56 Tavistock Place, London WC1 9RG.
Mr Osman is the subject of an extradition request made by the Government of Hong Kong under the Fugitive Offenders Act 1967, since replaced in almost identical form by the Extradition Act 1989. This is a case which continues to attract public interest. Mr Osman faces numerous serious charges in Hong Kong involving conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to steal, bribery, theft and fraudulent false accounting arising out of dealings amounting to approximately US $800 million of a deposit taking company, which was a subsidiary of a major Malaysian Bank. Mr Osman was a director of both the Bank and its subsidiary. In support of their request the Hong Kong Government submitted over 30,000 pages of evidence.
He was remanded in custody from the date of his arrest on
In
6 December 1985 until 1 June 1987 when after a hearing lasting 66 working days, he was committed to custody by the Chief Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate for surrender. committing Mr Osman the Chief Magistrate said "May I first deal perhaps with the most important factor of all in this case, it seems to me that most, if not all, of the charges depend on whether there is prima facie evidence of dishonest. I say at once that in my view there is ample material upon which to say that the activities of the defendant were prima facie dishonest
Under the Fugitive Offenders Act the Secretary of State must wait for a period of 15 days before surrender, during which time the fugitive may appeal by way of an application for a writ of habeas corpus. Four such applications have been made by Mr Osman. All have failed.
10
Winston Churchill Esq MP
/Mr Osman
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