Port of Spain, Trinidad (Trinidad Express) — Ravindranauth Roopnarine, a fugitive wanted in the United States for financial and fraud-related crimes, is the latest criminal to be extradited from Trinidad and Tobago, according to a release from the Office of the Attorney General.
Roopnarine, who was born in Guyana, is the third person to be extradited in three days.
Trinidadian Shazam Meighoo and Surinamese Edmund Muntslag were both extradited under differing circumstances last week.
“The Central Authority Unit in the Ministry of the Attorney General has succeeded in extraditing yet another criminal wanted by the US law enforcement agencies,” the release stated.
“Ravindranauth Roopnarine, a fugitive on the run from US authorities for financial and fraud-related crimes, was arrested on Tuesday January 6, 2015. The fugitive, who is 55 years old and is a Guyanese-born Canadian citizen, had various addresses in south Trinidad,” it said.
In December 2010, the Federal Grand Jury of Florida issued an indictment charging Roopnarine and three other individuals with six counts of mail and wire fraud; four counts of money laundering; and one count of conspiring to commit bank fraud.
“On November 12, 2014, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan SC signed the Authority to Proceed to commence the extradition proceedings and a warrant of arrest was obtained and handed over to the Interpol Bureau,” the release stated.
“Around 6.45 p.m. on Tuesday, the fugitive was observed on the premises of a restaurant and bar along Manahambre Road, Ste Madeleine. Assistance was sought from the Senior Superintendent and police officers of the Southern Division and Roopnarine was apprehended.
“He appeared at the Port of Spain Eighth Magistrates Court before Magistrate Marcia Ayres-Caesar, who upheld submissions made by the head of the Central Authority to deny Roopnarine bail. He was remanded into custody and the matter was adjourned to February 4, 2015.”
The release added that the extraditions show this country’s commitment to international judicial cooperation.
“This case represents another noteworthy accomplishment, in light of the recent appointment of Attorney General Ramlogan as vice-chair of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force.
“It exhibits our ongoing commitment to international judicial cooperation and our promise of swift action on cross-border money-laundering and financing of terrorism,” it stated.