UPDATE: Thai fugitive Rakesh Saxena bilked businesses before sent packing
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Updated: October 30, 2009 1:19 PM
Patricia Cruz didn't shed any tears at news that Thai fugitive Rakesh Saxena was finally extradited back to his homeland early Thursday afternoon to face embezzlement charges.
Cruz owns Always There for You, a home healthcare company, and claims she still hasn't been paid for services rendered to Saxena while he lived in Richmond under round-the-clock security.
"I took care of him for more than a month," said Cruz, who is owed $16,700. "It's a real terrible thing that happened to us."
Saxena has been fighting his extradition since 1996, when he was arrested by the RCMP on charges in Thailand that he embezzled $88 million from a Thai bank.
Cruz sued Saxena, but now that he's out of the country, her chances of receiving payment through a successful civil suit are next to zero. A court date had been set for next Feb. 10.
Cruz was contacted by Saxena's mother, Amrit Sarup.
Cruz said she's not the only one to be victimized by Saxena. Other merchants that provided similar services were also shafted, she claims.
RCMP Sgt. Tony Farahbakhchian said the federal commercial crime section took Saxena into custody and handed him over to Thai authorities.
Saxena this week lost his Supreme Court of Canada bid to fight his extradition, and the Government of Canada granted an order of surrender to Thailand.
"The Supreme Court of Canada denied any further appeals by Mr. Saxena in his attempt to overturn a lower court decision upholding his extradition," Farahbakhchian said.
In 1996, Saxena was charged in Thailand with embezzling money from the Bangkok Bank of Commerce.
Shortly thereafter, Saxena was arrested in Whistler by the RCMP's federal commercial crime section for extradition.
"Since that time, Mr. Saxena has been appealing the extradition process and has been kept under house arrest, with conditions. Today the surrender order was executed and Mr. Saxena was turned over to Thailand officials at Vancouver International Airport," Farahbakhchian said. "He has been escorted from the country."
The plane carrying Saxena and his escorts lifted off early Thursday afternoon, Farahbakhchian said.
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