i-flex chief discharged by London court

Senthil Kumar, the London-based chief of Dutch subsidiary of Indian Software giant i-flex, was discharged on Thursday by a court after the Netherlands government failed to convince Britain to launch extradition proceedings against him.

"You stand discharged today," the Bow Street Magistrate's Court Judge Workman told Senthil Kumar as the solicitor representing the Netherlands government informed the court that the British Home Secretary David Blunkett has not given his authorisation to go ahead with the extradition case.

Barrister Hugo Keith representing the i-flex chief said Kumar was arrested on the premise that the British Home Secretary would grant permission for his extradition and that permission has now been refused.

"Kumar's stand has been vindicated and there are no proceedings against him in this country," Keith said.

After the verdict Kumar told PTI, "I feel good. I am relieved for the moment."

Kumar was arrested and sent to Brixton prison for a week in March following an Interpol alert over a complaint filed against his company in Amsterdam that 14 of his employees were working in the Netherlands without proper work permits.

Kumar was accused of involvement in providing false references for a number of employees in the Netherlands.

i-flex, however, claimed that the visa documents of all the employees in Amsterdam were in order. They were on business visa while their work permits were being processed. All the employees had returned to India since the Netherlands government lodged the complaint.    

The Indian government slammed the arrest and accused the Netherlands of practising "neo-protectionism" by hampering the free flow of professionals and services under the World Trade Organisation.