London, the former CEO of Austrian Bank could be extradited to the United States on money laundering charges related to Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, the London High Court ruled on Tuesday.
Meinl Bank’s former CEO Peter Weinzierl, who later renamed Anglo-Austria AAB Bank, was accused of helping with hundreds of millions of dollars in a plan involving the use of Slush funds to bribe public officials.
The 59-year-old Austrian national denied the allegations and opposed his extradition on many grounds, including that he was “tempted” to the UK in May 2021 by alleged U.S. law enforcement officers to arrest him.
But his challenge to extradition was dismissed in June 2023, with appeals to the decision being mostly denied in February.
The High Court ruled that Wenzier could not be extradited on an allegation of conspiracy to launder money, but instead approved Weinzierl’s extradition charges.
Judge Jeremy Johnson ruled on Tuesday that Weinzierl’s case did not propose laws of public importance, preventing the road to bringing the case to the UK Supreme Court.
“The judiciary missed the opportunity to provide certainty about the UK-US extradition law,” said David Pack, a lawyer for Winzier, in a statement.
Weinzierl faces charges in New York for his role in a massive fraud and bribery program involving Odebrecht, which renamed Novonor SA in 2020 after synonymous with Graft.
Odebrecht admitted that it launched bribes to governments in Latin America to help build its vast architectural empire.
In 2016, Odebrecht and Acropiliation Petrochemical Company Braskem, the largest petrochemical company in Brazil, agreed to pay at least $3.5 billion to address currencies brought by U.S., Brazil and Swiss authorities.
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