A CONVICTED fraudster, who was living in Bahrain, has been extradited to Jersey to stand trial on 25 counts of fraud and larceny.
Russell King was reportedly extradited last month and appeared in Jersey’s Royal Court in connection with an alleged £16 million fraud dating back to 2008.
The allegations surround the attempted sale of the Belgravia Financial Services Group, and an attempt to misappropriate millions forming part of the estate of his former business partner, Duncan Hickman.
Mr King is a resident of Jersey but has not lived in the UK dependency since 2008 when Mr Hickman died suddenly, aged 40.
Operation
Police said Mr King’s extradition came following a “lengthy and complex” process entitled ‘Operation Humidor’ involving the Joint Financial Crime Unit, the Law Officers’ Department, Interpol and the Metropolitan Police, among other agencies.
“Extradition was sought and granted in respect of a substantial number of alleged dishonest offences,” Crown Advocate Matthew Jowitt was quoted as saying in a report in the Jersey Evening Post newspaper.
“It is alleged the misappropriation is something in the order of £16m.’
He said the charges included forgery, falsification of accounts and larceny, among other alleged offences, dating back to 2008.
The 59-year-old Mr King said he was willing to co-operate with the court.
“I arrived here a couple of hours ago and I have been extremely well looked after by the police,” he was quoted as saying in the report. I need some time to reflect on the charges.
“I have no problems facing them and at some stage coming up with what the plea will be and thank the court for their time and consideration.”
Mr King appeared in court on Friday in a wheelchair and was remanded in custody at HM Prison La Moye.
“Due to the complexity of the case, the speed at which events have happened, the bailiff, Sir William Bailhache, adjourned the case for three weeks, at which point pleas will be entered,” said a report in Bailiwick Express.
Mr King will be back in court on August 24.
A 2011 BBC Panorama documentary on Mr King called him ‘The Trillion Dollar Conman’, tracking him down to an apartment in Seef District.
In the documentary former Information Affairs Authority president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said Mr King might have met members of the Royal Family but did not have any financial connection.
Mr King allegedly swindled Dubai-based luxury retail brands and top hospitality groups to the tune of millions of dollars by falsely claiming a magazine run by him was the Middle East edition of Financial Times.
FT Business Arabia, launched in the UAE, had its first and last issue in July 2017.
Swindler
Mr King is described as a serial swindler having been sentenced to two years in prison in 1991 for insurance fraud after trying to get £600,000 in theft claims for his Aston Martin that never left his garage.
According to reports, Mr King even referred to himself as Lord Voldemort, a character from the Harry Potter books.
The fraudster is said to have even persuaded former England football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson to join Notts County FC as director of football and to visit North Korea.
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