George Hepburne Scott

George Hepburne Scott is a highly experienced expert extradition defence specialist, and Head of Extradition at Church Court Chambers. He has experience in all types of cases brought under the Extradition Act 2003 including Part 1 cases, Part 2 cases and ‘ad hoc’ cases.

He is highly experienced in all aspects of oral and written advocacy relating to extradition including: securing bail in extradition proceedings, attending case-management and directions hearings, and leading full extradition hearings and extradition appellate proceedings in the High Court including by way of Judicial Review. He is also experienced in applying to Interpol to have Red Notices removed.

He has dealt with myriad cases relating to extradition requests including from the following countries:

Part 1: Poland, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, Lithuania, Ireland, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, Finland, Luxembourg,
Part 2, Type A: Albania, Moldova, USA and Switzerland
Part 2, Type B: Ecuador, Thailand, India, Antigua and Bermuda
Part 2, Ad hoc: Japan
He is highly experienced in running all available objections to extradition including the following:

Lack of prima facie case (part 2 only),
Lack of particularisation in warrant,
Failure to establish identity,
Failure to establish an extradition offence,
Double jeopardy,
Forum,
Specialty,
No decision to charge or try,
Oppression due to passage of time,
Less coercive measures available,
Proportionality generally,
Oppression due to medical condition,
Extra-territoriality,
Right to life (Article 2),
Risk of inhuman treatment due to prison conditions (Article 3),
Risk of harm from non-state actors (Article 3),
Right to liberty and security (Article 5),
Right to a fair trial (Article 6),
Right to respect for private and family life (Article 8), and
Abuse of Process

He appears in extradition cases at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and the High Court almost every day. He has been involved in extradition since 2006. He has been involved in many of the most high-profile extradition cases in recent years, including the following:

Japan v J.C. & Ors – first ever Japanese extradition request to the U.K.
Queen (on the application of J.C. & Ors) v Home Secretary & National Police Agency of Japan – related judicial review
India v N.R. – India requesting extradition of a billionaire said to be mastermind of $1 billion global banking fraud. This case generated global media attention.
Italy v M.H. – regarding alleged kidnapping and ransom of English model in Milan by Polish brothers as part of an international crime group. This case generated global media attention.
Belgium v S.H. – Extradition request of Albanian accused of triple murder. Case re-opened on the identity issue after the initial hearing and the requested person discharged and released

He is also a specialist expert on the subject of re-issued extradition warrants and has widely lectured on this topic.

He is connected to a wide network of international lawyers and expert witnesses covering all areas of human rights and relevant law and procedure in foreign jurisdictions.

He has published widely in leading legal journals on the subject of Extradition law including, New Law Journal, Lexis Nexis and Law Society Gazette, and he frequently appears in the media as a commentator on Extradition: eg BBC News, ITV News, & Reuters. He is regularly invited to speak at events as a thought leader in extradition from the UK.

He has been quoted in questions to ministers in the U.K. Parliament as a commentator on extradition matters.

For further information on George’s Extradition Law work please visit www.UKExtraditionLawyer.com