The Hindu : IT executive discharged by U.K. court

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 16, 2003

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IT executive discharged by U.K. court

London May 15. The London-based chief of the Dutch subsidiary of the Indian software company i-Flex, Senthil Kumar, was today discharged by a court here after the Netherlands Government failed to convince Britain to launch extradition proceedings against him.

``You stand discharged today,'' the Bow Street Magistrate's Court judge, Workman, told Mr. Kumar as the Solicitor representing the Netherlands Government informed the court that the British Home Secretary, David Blunkett, had not given his authorisation to go ahead with the extradition case.

Hugo Keith, Barrister representing i-Flex chief, said Mr. Kumar was arrested on the basis that the British Home Secretary would grant permission for his extradition and that permission had been refused now.

``Kumar's stand has been vindicated and there are no proceedings against him in this country,'' Mr. Keith said.

After the verdict Mr. Kumar said, ``I feel good. I am relieved for the moment.''

The Indian High Commission spokesman, Navdeep Suri, expressed satisfaction over the fact that Mr. Kumar's ``ordeal is finally over.''

Mr. Kumar was arrested and sent to Brixton prison for a week in March following an Interpol alert over a complaint filed against his company in Amsterdam that 14 of his employees were working in the Netherlands without proper work permits. Mr. Kumar was accused of involvement in providing false references for a number of the company employees in the Netherlands.

i-Flex claimed that the visa documents of all the employees in Amsterdam were in order. They were on business visa while their work permits were being processed. All the employees had returned to India since the Netherlands Government lodged the complaint.

The Government of India has slammed the arrest and accused the Netherlands of practising ``neo-protectionism'' by hampering the free flow of professionals and services under the World Trade Organisation. — PTI

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