ALLEGED ARMS DEALER TO TAMIL TIGERS IS ARRESTED IN SINGAPORE AND BROUGHT TO COURTS OVER REQUEST FOR EXTRADITION TO US
Posted on September 29th, 2009
By Walter Jayawardhana
SingaporeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s former Reform Party Man who was a powerful committee member of the party Balraj Naidu has been arrested and produced in court for an extradition hearing over an alleged arms deal with Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Naidu was arrested on a warrant and produced in courts said, SingaporeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Strait Times.
The man was arrested at his home last week and brought to the courts September 29 for a brief courts appearance. His lawyers and family were present in the courts.
The businessman is wanted by the United States government on two terrorism related charges . He is also wanted by the US for allegedly brokering arms deals with the terrorist group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).No formal charges have been laid against him so far.
The Extradition hearing was adjourned until October 5 2009 (next Monday)
The Strait Times said the US government made the request for the extradition during the middle of the year.
His lawyer declined to comment to the press.
According to the Sri Lankan intelligence sources the LTTE made many of their purchases from arms dealers in Singapore.