Solicitor fights extradition over corruption claim

Jeffrey Tesler, 62, is accused by the American authorities of involvement in an international conspiracy to channel bribes to senior officials in Nigeria.

A QC for Mr Tesler, who works for a legal practice in Tottenham, north London, argued the conduct complained of did not occur in America, and there were "insufficiently substantial links" between it and the US to legally justify extradition.

Two judges sitting at London's High Court heard it was alleged that bribes were paid from a $132m (88.4m) slush fund to influence the awarding of a $6bn (4bn) construction contract for a natural gas plant in Nigeria.

Mr Tesler, who has lived in north London for over 50 years, is accused of acting as the middleman between 1994 and 2004.

He was arrested at the request of the US government after a grand jury indictment was filed at a US district court in Houston, Texas, in February 2009.

Last March, District judge Caroline Tubbs, sitting at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, decided Mr Tesler's extradition could go ahead, and two months later Home Secretary Theresa May ordered his removal.

One of Mr Tesler's complaints is that delay and the passage of time has compromised his chances of a fair trial.

Hugo Keith QC, appearing for Mr Tesler – who has dual British-Israeli nationality – applied for his discharge.

The QC told Lord Justice Pill and Mr Justice Roderick Evans extradition to the US had been "a vexed question" for a number of years.

He cited the controversy caused by several cases, including that of Gary McKinnon, who is fighting his removal to the US over hacking into US military computer files.

Mr Keith said rarely had those facing removal who had raised issues of jurisdiction been successful.

But the Tesler case "represents the absolute outer limits of what is acceptable by way of a jurisdictional claim".

He said: "The conduct and alleged criminality, at its heart, is extra-territorial and does not concern bribery in America, nor in the UK."

The links between America and the alleged conduct of Mr Tesler were "insufficiently substantial" he told the court.

The hearing continues.