Protect has written to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab calling on him to intervene in the case of Jonathan Taylor – a UK whistleblower who was arrested on holiday in Croatia on charges he denies.
The 51 year-old lawyer from Southampton was arrested on 30 July 2020 and informed he was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice at the request of the public prosecutor in Monaco on charges of “bribery and corruption”.
An international community of civil rights and humanitarian campaigners, along with Protect, and Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the All Party Political Group on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax, are calling on the UK Government to ensure the safe return of Mr Taylor to the UK.
Protect’s patron, Olympus whistleblower Michael Woodford is also campaigning for Mr Taylor’s release to the UK.
Mr Taylor blew the whistle in 2013 on a $275 million international network of bribes paid by Monaco-based Dutch oil platform company SBM Offshore. He provided evidence to the UK Serious Fraud Office, investigators in Brazil and the Netherlands as well as the FBI and the Department of Justice in the United States. This has resulted in fines to SBM Offshore of over $800 million.
Protect Chief Executive Liz Gardiner said, “We are calling on the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to make representations on behalf of Mr Taylor. Mr Taylor called out wrong doing some six years ago giving invaluable information to the UK’s Serious Fraud Office – as well as other international bodies. Now Mr Taylor himself is being treated like a criminal and faces extradition to Monaco on charges he denies. This may send a chilling message to future whistleblowers.”
The Taylor family, along with Protect hand delivered a letter to the Monaco Embassy to be forwarded to Prince Albert of Monaco requesting his intervention in the case.
Cindy Taylor, Jonathan’s wife said “I am trying to remain positive – it is dominating our lives, I feel we can’t move forward until this is all over, our lives have been put on hold and I worry for my husband being alone, being away from his family and the feeling of isolation he has being in Dubrovnik and not knowing anyone there. We have an incredible and amazing network of supporters and I honestly do not know how we would cope without them.”