§ Mr. ParryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the case of Mr. Lorrain Osman.
§ Mr. John PattenMr. Osman is the subject of an extradition request made by the Government of Hong Kong, in respect of various charges there, involving conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to steal, bribery, theft and fraudulent false accounting. In support of their request, the Hong Kong Government submitted over 30,000 pages of evidence.
Mr. Osman was arrested on 6 December 1985 and remanded in custody. On 1 June 1987, after a hearing lasting 66 working days, he was committed to custody by the chief metropolitan stipendiary magistrate for surrender. Since then, he has appealed four times by applications for writs of habeas corpus. He cannot be surrendered while appeal proceedings are pending. His fourth application was dismissed by the Divisional Court on 12 December 1990 as an abuse of process and contravention of statute. The judgment said that no blame could be attached to the Hong Kong Government for the lapse of time while Mr. Osman has been pursuing his appeals, and expressed the hope that the question of return could be determined without delay. Mr. Osman may apply, within 14 days of the judgment, for leave to appeal to the House of Lords.