Extradition

You can be liable for extradition if you are accused of, or convicted of, a crime in a foreign country which has an extradition arrangement with the UK. Even where a country does not have an extradition arrangement with the UK, there is the possibility of special arrangements being put in place. 

With alert systems, such as Interpol Notices, widely available internationally as a means of apprehending suspects or convicted persons, early representation is becoming increasingly crucial and we regularly advise clients prior to their arrest or the issue of an arrest warrant. In those early stages, we can provide practical advice including how to put together the best possible bail packages and how to try and get the request for extradition withdrawn. 

Early advice is particularly crucial if you have been arrested under a European Arrest Warrant. The purpose of the EAW scheme is to increase the speed and ease of extradition across EU countries, by removing some of the administrative phases of the decision making process. The time limits imposed by the legislation in these cases are extremely tight and very strict.

During this distressing and technically difficult process, our team of specialist criminal lawyers ensure our clients are properly represented and informed, whether they are facing extradition to or from the UK. We are internationally recognised for the quality of our extradition work. We regularly defend individuals facing extradition proceedings from the US, Russia and Eastern Europe.

Our criminal defence lawyers have notable experience of political extraditions, including the attempted extradition of Dr Ejup Ganic by Serbia. Stephen Gentle and Jill Lorimer successfully defended Dr Ganic against this request (see “The high cost of politically motivated extradition proceedings” in The Lawyer.  

We are astute to the potential threats to individuals and companies whose international business interests may leave them vulnerable to international investigations by agencies such as the Department of Justice (DoJ) or the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). We have a large network of European and international lawyers who can advise and assist in a dual or multi-jurisdictional approach when defending extradition requests. 

The team regularly lectures in relation to the extradition process under the Extradition Act 2003 and members of the team are involved with the Extradition Lawyers’ Association (ELA) and the European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA).

Case highlights

• Ejup Ganic, former vice-president of Bosnia.
• Senator Pinochet, in extradition proceedings which resulted in groundbreaking new law. 

If you would like to speak to one of our criminal defence solicitors, please contact: Michael Caplan QC, Stephen Gentle or Eve Giles

Please note that public funding for representation in extradition proceedings is now subject to means testing. Although we generally act for our clients on a privately funded basis, we may be able to act for some clients on a legal aid basis, if they qualify for legal aid.