Sikh bizman held in London
Sunday, 15/01/2017
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=171435&boxid=61954&uid=&dat=2017-01-15
London: A British Sikh businessman has been arrested at Heathrow Airport here on tax fraud charges filed by German authorities and faces extradition along with a 15-year jail term if found guilty. Peter Singh Virdee was arrested earlier this week on a European arrest warrant, Scotland Yard confirmed on Friday.
Virdee faces extradition to Germany and a 15-year jail term if found guilty of value added tax (VAT) fraud allegations worth around 100 million pounds, which he denies. “Peter Singh Virdee, 43, a UK national, was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Extradition Unit on Tuesday January 10 at Heathrow Airport. He was arrested on a European arrest warrant on behalf of the authorities in Germany, where he is wanted in relation to tax evasion,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
Virdee appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday and was released on bail. A spokesperson from Carter-Ruck, the legal firm representing him, said, “Our client categorically denies these allegations; he has never been involved in carbon trading let alone in any kind of fraud.” “While he is happy to cooperate with the authorities he intends to defend himself fully against these allegations and the attempts to extradite him to Germany,” the spokesperson said.
