An Australian police team is ready to fly to the United States to bring back India-born surgeon Jayant Patel so that he can face manslaughter charges linked to the death of his patients as soon as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signs his extradition papers.
Australian authorities want Patel, 58, to stand trial over the deaths of three patients at the Bundaberg Base Hospital in Queensland between 2003 and 2005, when he was director of surgery, before he fled to Oregon.
Dubbed as 'Dr Death' by the Australian media, Patel faces 16 charges including manslaughter, grievous bodily harm and fraud, and if convicted will get a maximum penalty of life sentence.
Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said that two officers were ready to travel to the US to escort Patel back to Australia.
They would leave once Rice had signed the documents, but could leave before, he said.
"At this point in time, there is still a reasonable period of time that we have. The intention is to send them after the documentation is signed," Atkinson said.
Patel's Brisbane-based lawyer on Wednesday said that he was unaware of how Patel's extradition process was progressing. Solicitor Arun Raniga said he had not received an update on the extradition process.
"No, no I haven't been updated," Raniga said, AAP reported. On the query if he knew if Rice had signed the papers, Raniga said "No, I don't actually".
Patel had fled to the US in April 2005, a month after an inquiry was launched that linked him to several botch operations. Hailing from Gujarat, he had moved to the US in 1977 and was banned from surgery in the states of New York and Oregon before he arrived in Australia.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said that she would discuss the extradition process with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at Thursday's Council of Australian Governments meeting in Sydney.
US District Court Judge Dennis Hubel last week threatened to release Patel from an Oregon jail if he is not handed over to the custody of the Australian Federal Police by July 21.
