OWN CORRESPONDENT, Sydney | Wednesday 11.00am.
A SOUTH African businessman wanted on fraud charges on Wednesday lost an appeal against his extradition from Australia as authorities said he had been missing for months.
Australian authorities said a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Jacob Johannes De Bruyn, wanted for allegedly defrauding South Africa’s First National Bank of about R1,2-million which he allegedly used to buy gold for his jewellery business in 1992.
In a majority judgment, Australia’s Federal Court dismissed an appeal on Wednesday by De Bruyn against being extradited to South Africa.
But a spokeswoman for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions said the businessman’s whereabouts are unknown and an arrest warrant has been issued for him after he went missing earlier this year.
Last year, a magistrate ruled De Bruyn could not be extradited because his alleged conduct in South Africa would not be criminal if it occurred in New South Wales. But that decision was overturned in April this year on the grounds the charges against him satisfied Australia’s extradition treaty with South Africa.
Justice James Burchett directed that De Bruyn be jailed until he was extradited but later changed the order to allow De Bruyn to stay at his home in Sydney’s north-west and report to police three times a week. However, De Bruyn has not complied with the judge’s orders, according to authorities. –AFP