EL PASO, Texas – A retired British businessman accused of plotting to sell missile components to Iran headed to the United States Friday to face charges after failing to overturn an extradition order.
Christopher Tappin faces charges in El Paso,
Texas, that he tried in 2006 to buy specialized batteries for Hawk
missiles for $25,000 from undercover American agents with the intention
of exporting them to Iran.
The 65-year-old Tappin faces up to 35 years
in jail if convicted. He fought extradition for two years until last
month when he was denied a petition to take the case to Britain's Supreme Court.
A subsequent appeal to the European Human Rights Court was also rejected.
Tappin denies any wrongdoing, saying he was the victim of a sting operation.
The order to deport Tappin sparked a debate
in the U.K., where critics claim the country's extradition treaty with
the U.S. does not provide equal protection for British and American
citizens.
Prime Minister David Cameron
has promised to carefully review the treaty and a recent independent
study on its balance. That report, conducted by Lord Justice Scott Baker, largely endorsed the treaty and the overhaul demanded by many of the deal's critics doesn't appear to be in the cards.
U.S. Marshalls took Tappin into custody Friday morning at London's Heathrow Airport. He complained to reporters that he was receiving harsher treatment than Abu Qatada, a radical, Jordanian-born cleric accused of ties to al-Qaida who recently received bail in London.
"I have no rights," Tappin said as his wife
looked on in tears. "Abu Qatada is walking the streets of London today
and we cannot extradite him. He has more rights than I have. If I was a
terrorist, I would not be going to America. I think it's a shame, a
disgrace."
He was expected to arrive in Texas on Friday afternoon.
Tappin's attorney, Houston based attorney Dan Cogdell said he will aggressively seek bond.
"He is not a flight risk, not a terrorist, not a danger," Cogdell said. He declined to comment further.
Tappin was accused in a 2007 three-count
indictment of scheming to export the batteries to the U.K. without a
license. Court documents show that a cooperating defendant provided
computer files that demonstrate Tappin intended to then send the
batteries to a Tehran-based company and that he and the cooperating
defendant had illegally sold U.S. technology to Iran in the past.
Two other men have already been sentenced to
prison times for charges stemming from the indictment. Robert Gibson,
another British national, pleaded guilty in April 2007 and was sentenced
to 24 months in prison. Robert Caldwell, from Oregon, was found guilty
in July of that year and received a 20 month sentence.
No comments:
Post a Comment