LONDON, 26 January 2021 – In an urgent appeal to the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Dame Margaret Hodge MP, alongside three further MPs, sent a letter concerning the arrest and imminent risk of extradition of British whistleblower Jonathan Taylor, represented by Toby Cadman of Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers. Chambers previously reported on his threatened extradition from Croatia to Monaco.
In the letter to the Foreign Secretary, Dame Margaret Hodge, joined by Caroline Nokes MP, Andrew Mitchell MP and David Davis MP, recalled that in 2013, Mr. Taylor had bravely stepped forward to blow the whistle on corporate corruption and bribery in the oil and gas industry and thereby fundamentally assisted prosecutions in the US, the Netherlands and Brazil, who, as a result of these revelations, fined his former employer SBM Offshore $827 million. And despite having recently been made redundant and suffering from mental health issues, Mr. Taylor continues to assist proceedings in the UK at the Serious Fraud Office.
While an arrest warrant, on grounds of corruption and blackmail charges, against Mr. Taylor was dropped by the Monegasque authorities in December 2020, he is still being pursued to be “interrogated” in Monaco. Dame Margaret Hodge stressed that the only “crime” Mr Taylor appears to have committed was to blow the whistle on SBM Offshore, which led to several successful prosecutions. She further pointed out that requirements for Interpol Red Notices are not met in this case -- Mr. Taylor is neither awaiting trial nor already convicted of a crime. Still, the Croatian courts have recently given their go-ahead to Mr. Taylor’s extradition to Monaco.
Calling the extradition battle a “Kafkaesque nightmare,” Dame Margaret Hodge declares that the formal conditions are met for the Government to step in because Mr. Taylor’s treatment constitutes a “breach of process and his human rights.”
Dame Margaret Hodge is joined by three further MPs in her calls on the UK Government to bring Mr. Taylor safely home to Britain; to make representations to the Monaco authorities to drop the extradition request and do any “interrogation” via video call, and regarding Croatia, to make representations on behalf of Mr. Taylor and issue a public statement of concerning his case.
Guernica 37 International Justice joins this urgent call for action to the UK Government. Rather than being pursued by them, Jonathan should be celebrated by prosecutorial authorities worldwide for his bravery and assistance.
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