Extradition is one of those areas of law that require dedicated detailed and specialist advice; a personal touch that doesn’t require the firm to shout out loud about what it can do for you in the media. We will represent you through the court system to achieve the best possible outcome.
Extradition has been the fastest area of growth both in sheer volume and case law in recent years.
We have been leading the field. We have been responsible for many of the leading cases. One of our cases has even lead to a change in Primary Legislation having highlighted a hole in the original drafting of the Extradition Act 2003:
The Governor of HMP Wandsworth v. Antana Kinderis, TPGO of the Republic of Lithuania, CPS, Cambridge and Interested Parties: The City of Westminster Magistrates Court, SOCA & the SoS for the Home Department : [2007] EWHC 998 (Admin)
You can see the full judgment on Kinderis by clicking on the link.
The law that has been passed to amend this is found in the Policing and Crime Act 2009 under sections 69 and 70.
Another case of interest is that of Lopetas v. Minister of Justice for Lithuania [2007] EWHC 2407 (Admin). It highlights how important it is that cases are run well right from the start - at the Magistrates' Court. Basic initial hearing arguments must be put as soon as they arise. These can be seen and pursued when the advocate is experienced enough to do so. You can find the full judgment by clicking on this link Lopetas.
What is of interest is that we succeeded in helping our clients and secure important principles that are sited in cases that follow. One example of this is Hungary v. Fenyvesi (2009) EWHC 231 (Admin), (2009) 4 All ER 324 recently applied in Mehtab Khan v. US [2010] EWHC 1127 (although Mr Khan did not successfully resist extradition).
While we lead the way, we do not forget that our clients are real people with real needs. The effect of extradition can be overwhelming and we strive to assist our clients at this difficult time. We contact their families and seek assistance from lawyers outside the jurisdiction. We protect our clients’ rights throughout the process. We succeed using many strategies depending on our clients’ circumstances; we negotiate with the Judicial Authorities, attack the validity of the warrant, compromise the warrant in the home country, use procedural failures and bars under the Extradition Act or pursue human rights breaches. Of course some of our clients simply wish to return. One simple way we assist them is by ensuring they have advice, knowledge and information to count any time they can under the Framework Decision (European legislation) towards their final sentence.
The team is made up of a dedicated Member (Partner) Fadi Daoud and three experienced solicitors and paralegals including John Oliver, Katy-Ellen Smart and Alison Fong San Pin.