A British man who allegedly defrauded his 82-year old partner with whom he had since relocated to Gozo, is to be returned to his homeland after an extradition request in his regard was upheld by a Maltese Court.

Mark Anthony Saunders, 55, had been arraigned under arrest on March 16 after the police tracked him down in Gozo following an alert on the Schengen Information System posted on March 1.

The alert had been sparked by a European Arrest Warrant issued by a district judge in Birmingham last November, where Mr Saunders is wanted to face criminal proceedings over allegations of fraud.

The man, formerly employed in the UK as a carer with an elderly British couple, had entered into a relationship with the woman, following the death of her husband, and allegedly acquired some properties, half of which had been financed by the widow.

The couple eventually moved to Gozo in 2016 where they had been living ever since.

Upon his arraignment, the man’s defence lawyer had insisted that the extradition request had stemmed from a malicious case instigated by the children of his client’s partner.

The wanted man had been remanded in custody pending the continuation of the hearing of the case before another court.

Following that hearing, the court, presided over by magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, delivered its decision on Tuesday whereby, on the basis of the evidence put forward, it concluded that the offence for which the man was wanted back in the UK was an extraditable one in terms of law.

There was no reason prohibiting the man’s return, the court declared, thereby upholding the extradition request and committing him to custody pending his return which was not to be effected before the expiration of seven days from the order of committal and this, unless the man chose to file an appeal.

Furthermore, the court declared that the man’s return was to be subject to the law of speciality, which, in simple terms, meant that the extradition was to be effected solely in connection with those offences mentioned in the warrant.

Inspector Mark Galea prosecuted.