Latest news with #extradition
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Police seeking help to identify man charged with six counts of fraud in Queensland
A man charged with multiple fraud offences is also wanted in the United States, it's been revealed, as police work to confirm his identity. Police from the Ferny Grove Criminal Investigation Branch in Queensland released an image of the 32-year-old man, who has been charged with six counts of fraud, and one count each of attempted fraud, stealing, receiving tainted property, dealing with identification information, forgery, possessing false foreign travel documents and contravene police requirement. Though the man identified himself to police as Paul Sorin Kimpian, he is also believed to go by the names Roman Janecek and Jean Paul Fontaine. He is described as being of Romanian appearance, approximately 184cm tall, with balding dark brown hair and a moustache, and is believed to frequent the Brisbane and Gold Coast regions and travel via public transport. Police said he may also have recently been in Cairns. Mr Kimpian's matter was heard at Brisbane Arrests Court on Thursday, with Legal Aid lawyer Ollie Labone telling Magistrate Aaron Simpson his client was seeking a lengthy plea date. 'He doesn't have any Australian history but I assume the circumstances will require a lengthier plea than normal,' Mr Labone said. The court also heard that Mr Kimpian – whose fraud matter relates to as much as $10,000 or $12,000 – is wanted overseas. 'There's an international extradition that will likely be waiting on him, he's skipped bail in America,' he said. Police have put in a request to obtain his American history. Anyone with information that may assist ongoing investigations, including the man's identity and residence, or anyone connected to him, is encouraged to contact police. Police also encouraged anyone who notices fraudulent transactions on their accounts to notify their financial institution immediately, then report the matter to police and seek any personal support they may need. The matter was adjourned to September 11.
New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
American Convicted of Murder Is Freed by Trump From Venezuela Prison
When the State Department secured the release of 10 Americans and permanent legal residents from a Venezuela prison last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed the effort as part of an effort to safeguard the well-being of Americans unjustly held abroad. But one of the men released from the prison, an American-Venezuelan dual national named Dahud Hanid Ortiz, had been convicted in Venezuela for the murder of three people in Spain in 2016, according to an official at the prosecutor's office in Madrid. The official asked not to be identified speaking publicly about the case. Mr. Hanid Ortiz was sentenced in 2023 to 30 years in prison for a triple homicide committed in Madrid in 2016, according to Venezuelan court documents and Spanish news media coverage, which also indicate that Spain had tried to extradite him. The Venezuelan Constitution prohibits the extradition of Venezuelan citizens, leading Mr. Hanid Ortiz to be tried inside Venezuela, which allows Venezuelans to be tried for crimes committed outside the country. Two other people with knowledge of the case who were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter also confirmed Mr. Hanid Ortiz's conviction and extraction from Venezuela by U.S. authorities. Representatives from the State Department did not immediately respond to questions about why Mr. Hanid Ortiz was released and whether he was allowed to go free once he arrived in the United States. The killings of the three people took place in the Usera neighborhood of Madrid, according to the court documents. José Bautista contributed reporting from Madrid.
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Former Moldovan justice minister charged with fraud after extradition from UAE to France
A former Molodovan justice minister arrested in the UAE has been charged with fraud by a court in France. Vitalie Pirlog was arrested last month in the UAE at the request of French authorities who asked for a red notice to be issued against him by Interpol, state news agency Wam reported at the time. He was extradited by the UAE to France, where he was charged last week with offences including fraud as part of an organised gang, use of a false administrative document to secure impunity for the perpetrator of a crime, passive influence peddling of a foreign public official, active bribery as part of an organised gang of a foreign public official, and evading arrest or search of a criminal. 'The National Financial Prosecutor's Office thanks all the UAE authorities who intervened in the execution of this extradition request: this surrender represents a particularly important step in the progress of this investigation,' said a statement from French authorities. In addition to previously being his country's justice minister, Mr Pirlog also performed a senior role at Interpol, where he served as the chairman of the Interpol Commission for the Control of Files. 'The arrest was carried out under continuing co-ordination with international and regional partners, including law enforcement agencies and global organisations, as part of broader efforts to ensure community safety and international security,' Wam stated at the time of Mr Pirlog's arrest in the UAE. 'French authorities commended the professionalism and determination of the UAE Ministry of Interior, stating that such co-ordinated action underscores the importance of international co-operation in combating transnational crime.'
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Former Moldovan justice minister charged with fraud after UAE to France extradition
A former Molodovan justice minister arrested in the UAE has been charged with fraud by a court in France. Vitalie Pirlog was arrested last month in the UAE at the request of French authorities who asked for a red notice to be issued against him by Interpol, state news agency Wam reported at the time. He was extradited by the UAE to France, where he was charged last week with offences including fraud as part of an organised gang, use of a false administrative document to secure impunity for the perpetrator of a crime, passive influence peddling of a foreign public official, active bribery as part of an organised gang of a foreign public official, and evading arrest or search of a criminal. 'The National Financial Prosecutor's Office thanks all the UAE authorities who intervened in the execution of this extradition request: this surrender represents a particularly important step in the progress of this investigation,' said a statement from French authorities. In addition to previously being his country's justice minister, Mr Pirlog also performed a senior role at Interpol, where he served as the chairman of the Interpol Commission for the Control of Files. 'The arrest was carried out under continuing co-ordination with international and regional partners, including law enforcement agencies and global organisations, as part of broader efforts to ensure community safety and international security,' Wam stated at the time of Mr Pirlog's arrest in the UAE. 'French authorities commended the professionalism and determination of the UAE Ministry of Interior, stating that such co-ordinated action underscores the importance of international co-operation in combating transnational crime.'
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Interpol Takes Anti-Whaling Campaigner Paul Watson Off Its Most-Wanted List
PARIS (AP) – Interpol said Tuesday it was removing a most-wanted designation for anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson, who is sought by Japan over an encounter with a whaling ship and who was jailed for several months last year in Greenland. Watson, 74, is a former head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society whose high seas confrontations with whaling vessels have drawn support from celebrities and featured in the reality television series Whale Wars. Japan wants his extradition over an encounter with a Japanese whaling research ship in 2001 when he was accused of obstructing the crew's official duties by ordering the captain of his ship to throw explosives at the whaling ship. Starting in 2012, Watson had been subject to a red notice of Interpol, the Lyon France-based international police body. The Canadian-American activist was arrested and jailed on the Japanese warrant last year in Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, but released after five months. Denmark does not have an extradition treaty with Japan, where Watson's foundation says he could have faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and the Danish government declined to extradite him to Japan. At the time of his release, the Danish Justice Ministry said it had not received adequate guarantees from Japanese authorities that the time Watson had already served in custody would be counted against any sentence he would receive in Japan. In a statement, Interpol said the decision to remove Watson from the red notice list did not reflect any judgment on the merits of the case in Japan but that it did take into account Denmark's refusal to extradite him. 'This is not a judgement on the merits of the case or the events that occurred in 2010,' the Interpol statement said. The police agency said the decision was made by an independent body, the Commission for the Control of Interpol's File, which is tasked to ensure that the police body's processing of personal data adheres to its internal rules. Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France, hailed the good news 'that this notice was finally cancelled,' but she noted that Watson still could be arrested and sent to Japan for prosecution. 'It does not give Paul Watson his freedom of movements because the Japanese arrest warrant is sufficient for a country to order his arrest,' she said.
