Partial victory for businessman in US extradition fight - Times Online

Partial victory for businessman in US extradition fight - Times Online: "From Times Online
March 12, 2008
Partial victory for businessman in US extradition fight
Lords rule for Ian Norris in his US extradition battle over price-fixing charges, but his legal fight is not over
Michael Herman

Read the law lords' full judgment

Ian Norris, the retired British businessman, has won a significant victory in the House of Lords today but could still be sent for trial in the US, where he is wanted on charges of price-fixing.

Five law lords unanimously ruled that price-fixing was not a criminal act in England at the time it is said to have occured. Under the current extradition rules, a British citizen can only be extradited to the US if the offence they are accused of was a crime in both jurisdictions at the time it was committed.

However, the law lords said that a separate, ancilliary charge against Mr Norris — that he tampered with documents to cover up evidence — may still constitute an extraditable offence.
Related Links

* Norris v USA: judgment in full

* Soft target or a fair cop?

* Briton's extradition fight reaches Lords

The case will now be sent back to a magistrate's court, where a judge will need to decide whether the US extradition request remains 'proportionate"