Fugitive travel boss extradited
The boss of a defunct travel agency wanted in connection with a HK$15 million scam was extradited from Greece yesterday after being on the run for nearly a decade.
Police said the fugitive, a 60-year-old woman, had been running a travel agency in Hong Kong which specialised in dealing with tourists from Japan. The alleged victims included hotels and a bus company in the city that provided hotel and transport services.
The agency's business appeared to improve in late 1994 and early 1995. In April 1996, the woman issued post-dated cheques to a number of companies to settle bills for February. Eight cheques, for a total of HK$15 million, bounced.
On May 16, the travel agency closed suddenly and the woman disappeared. It was later revealed that she had fled Hong Kong one day earlier.
Last October, Interpol Athens informed Hong Kong police that she had been arrested at Athens International Airport. Arrangements were then made to hand her back.
The woman has been charged with nine counts of obtaining services by deception and will appear in Eastern Court tomorrow.
