A man accused of masterminding a scheme that triggered the Asian economic crisis a decade ago is asking Canada to free him after years of house arrest.
Rakesh Saxena will appear before the British Columbia Court of Appeals on September 26 to argue that he should be freed, now that the statute of limitations on his arrest warrant has expired.
Mr. Saxena was arrested at a Canadian ski resort in 1996 and charged with embezzling millions of dollars from the Bangkok Bank of Commerce. The bank's collapse helped trigger the Asian economic crisis a year later.
The unsuccessful attempt to extradite Mr. Saxena to Thailand was one of the longest extradition trials in Canadian history.
Mr. Saxena says if he is freed he plans to apply for residency in Canada.