Australia on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for Indian-origin surgeon Jayant Patel, paving the way for his extradition from the US on charges relating to botched up surgeries in a Brisbane hospital.
Dubbed as Dr Death, Patel, who was director of surgery at the Bundaberg Base Hospital in Queensland, has been linked to 17 patient deaths there until he fled overseas after being named in state Parliament in April last year.
Queensland's Director of Public Prosecutions Leanne Clare said warrants were issued in the Brisbane Magistrates Court for Patel on a number of charges, including three of manslaughter and five of causing grievous bodily harm.
It is also believed that the surgeon is facing four charges of negligent acts causing harm and eight charges of fraud.
Clare told AAP news agency that issuing warants was not a public process and for legal reasons, she was unable to provide further details of the charges until the matter reached court.
It will now be up to the federal attorney general's department to assess whether the warrant meets extradition treaty requirements and is appropriate to pursue, before it is sent on to US authorities.
A US court hearing would follow and if the application succeeded, US and Australian authorities would organise Patel's return, she said.
"Extradition can be a long and complicated process. It is not possible to suggest any timeframes for future public developments," Clare said.
