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South Australia ‘doing nothing to extradite cult leader’ from Fiji

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Wednesday July 13, 2011

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon says South Australian authorities have made no attempt to have cult leader Rocco Leo extradited from Fiji.

According to AAP

Xenophon says it’s almost “Keystone Cops stuff” that police have yet to seek the extradition from Fiji of alleged doomsday cult leader Rocco Leo.
Leo was arrested in Fiji last month for visa breaches, along with his closest associates Marie Veneziano and her brother Joseph.
He fled Australia last year just before SA police raided several of his Agape Ministries‘ properties in Adelaide, seizing guns, detonators and 35,000 rounds of ammunition.
Police have a warrant out for his arrest alleging 126 counts of fraud while he also faces civil action from two former followers who say they were tricked into giving him more than $1.5 million.
Senator Xenophon said on Tuesday that it was up to SA authorities to seek Leo’s extradition from Fiji but he had been told that no request was likely to be made.

FijiVillage.com says

Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum confirmed that his office has received no applications from Australia after Leo and two others were taken into immigration custody.
Director of Immigration, Major Nemani Vuniwaqa has only said that Leo is in custody at an undisclosed location and further decisions are yet to be made. [...]
Commodore Bainimarama told Senator Xenophon that Fiji would assist with any application for extradition but no request had come from the federal government.