The bailed former Deyaar chief executive Zack Shahin may be deported from Yemen to the US as the UAE has not yet requested his extradition, Yemeni authorities said yesterday.
The American was arrested by Yemeni security forces this week, a month after being granted bail of Dh4.7 million by the Dubai Criminal Court on condition that he surrender his passport. Yemeni authorities have contacted the US Embassy to discuss handing Mr Shahin to America, a Yemeni security source and a government official said.
"According to the law, there are two choices: to return him to the country where he came from, in this case the UAE, or the country of which he is a passport holder," the security source said.
He said there was no deadline for Mr Shahin's deportation.
But the Yemeni foreign ministry and Interpol have not received extradition requests for Mr Shahin from the UAE, authorities said.
"We have not received any message from the UAE on this subject," a foreign ministry official said.
Dubai's Public Prosecution and Mr Shahin's US legal team could not immediately be reached for comment.
He had been detained in Dubai since March 2008 on charges of theft and fraud involving more than Dh300m, but was granted bail after the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi called for leniency after he allegedly began a hunger strike.
Court records show Mr Shahin may be liable for a fine of Dh5 million for breach of bail conditions.
* Reuters
