Philip Egglishaw is accused of setting up a A$300m (£182m, $237m, €205m) tax evasion network in Australia.
Authorities were unable to bring criminal proceedings against him after he moved to Geneva where Swiss law enforcement failed to act on an Interpol Red Notice issued for his arrest, reports newspaper the Jersey Evening Post.
Luxury Italian hotel
The former accountant was arrested in May after checking into a £1,500-a-night hotel with his partner at Lake Como, Italy, which lies about 12 miles from the Swiss border.
In accordance with Italian law, hotels must forward their guests’ passport details to the police each night. Egglishaw was arrested the morning after he checked in.
After appearing at a private hearing in the Milan District Court, Egglishaw’s lawyer reportedly told News Corp that his client disputed the charges against him and that the statute of limitation, during which time he could be extradited to Australia, had passed.
Egglishaw also reportedly told the court he would resist the extradition application.
Australian investigation
Egglishaw came to the attention of the Australian authorities in 2004 when Federal Police seized his laptop following claims that he had lured prominent Australians into tax evasion schemes.
The laptop provided details of Egglishaw’s Australian clients, tax haven transactions and offshore trusts.
An international warrant for Egglishaw’s arrest was issued in 2008, followed by a second in 2013 amid claims that he fled with $34m of Hogan’s money from an account the actor held at the Corner Bank in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Switzerland’s failure to act on the Interpol arrest warrant has meant that he has been living freely in Switzerland since he arrived.
