A British whistleblower is being prevented from handing over a new dossier on oil industry bribery to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in London after being trapped in Croatia by a Kafkaesque extradition battle.
Jonathan Taylor has spent three months in Croatia fighting what his lawyers claim is a “politically motivated” extradition request by Monaco after he lifted the lid on alleged bribery by oil executives based in the principality.
The former oil industry lawyer, who was arrested on an Interpol warrant issued by Monaco when he arrived in Croatia for a family holiday, has used the time to compile a dossier on new allegations of bribery which the SFO and FBI want to study.
Well, yes, OK, don’t travel internationally when peeps might throw an Interpol warrant out there. It’a also amusing to think that Monaco actually has a legal system but still. It’s this bit that startles:
He had expected to hand the dossier over to the SFO in London this week after winning his supreme court appeal in Croatia against his extradition, but the judges placed a condition on their verdict which has thrown his return to Britain into serious doubt.
…
Mr Taylor said: “I am in touch with the SFO whom I am very eager to assist in relation to new evidence of an eight-figure bribe involving at least five British nationals. The SFO are literally awaiting my arrival so I can hand over the evidence.“I am a whistleblower. I am a protected witness. If there was ever a time for the Government to get involved, it has to be now.”
Well, OK, yes. Government get involved. But how?
The question being, that dossier, where is it? On holiday with him? So, give it to a consular official who can send it to London in the diplomatic bag. It’s in London? The give the SFO a ring and ask them to go ’round and pick it up.
That is, the question of him being on remand in Croatia and the file being in the hands of the SFO are two different things, two different points, one not being reliant upon the other.
Sure, but under the circumstances a bit of diplomatic reciprocity does seem reasonable. We’ve done far, far worse for other whistleblowers and grasses, mostly in the form of immunity from prosecution for far worse crimes than breech of privacy.
It’s in a microdot disguised as a mole on his bottom.
Jim Phelps and The Impossible Mission Team have to send a drone through the ventilation shafts to collect it, while some glamourous blonde lady distracts the guards.
Don’t they have email in Croatia?
Guy wants to come home from Croatia.
Needs government assistance.
Withholds documents until he gets it.
No nothing..but one scenario comes to mind. Caught redhanded
Jonnyboy- Ok you got me. i’ll turn prince’s evidence- lots of juiciness for you..
Prince Albert- Non.Bang him up.
Jonathan – Dear Britanic Majesty- you know all that tax i avoided in monaco?,you’ll still help me out right?
Tsk, Hallowed Be, as any fule kno it is
“Bang lui up.”
Shurely, stealing confidential dinformation (&documents?) from a company is very possibly actually a crime. And Brits paying bribes should be a matter for the attention of the authorities where the bribes were paid. That, for some inexplicable reason, the British legal system has taken upon itself to police what Brits do in forrin’ is the problem of the British legal system?
BiS
That was part and parcel of Robin Cook’s ethical foreign policy. It culminated in the 2010 Bribery Act which made it illegal for British firms to grease a few palms in Shitholia and left the Chinese to take over Shitholistan.
‘A British whistleblower is being prevented from handing over a new dossier on oil industry bribery to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in London’
He wants pix. He wants his face above the fold in the Guardian. Never miss a chance to market yourself.
Ottokring, and look what happened to Robin Cook.
Hard to see what’s going on here. Blackmail attempt gone wrong?