Christopher Skase - Exile To Spain

Exile To Spain

He was charged with improperly using his position to obtain management fees, briefly arrested and spent a night in jail. However, he was subsequently released and allowed to regain his passport. He promptly fled the country. His discovery on the Spanish island of Majorca in 1991 by the Sydney Morning Herald sparked intense media interest. In 1994, the Australian Securities Commission assembled a case against Skase, with the assistance of former Skase associate Lawrence Van der Plaat, and began to chase him in earnest.

Throughout the 1990s, successive Australian governments, in combination with Max Donnelly, attempted to have Skase extradited from Spain, with no success. Skase claimed that he was unable to travel due to a life-threatening lung condition. This was disputed by the Australian government, who released a video filmed by some Australian tourists, which featured Skase walking easily on a local beach. During this period, Skase also attempted to build a new business empire, and continued to live in a multi-million dollar mansion.

In one incident, television personality Andrew Denton organised a public subscription to hire a bounty hunter to kidnap Skase. However, the idea had to be called off when it became apparent it would compromise any trial.

In May 1998, the Australian government cancelled Skase's passport. Skase was ordered to leave Majorca by 23 July, but lodged an appeal. The extradition process was still tied up in the courts when, the following month, he became a citizen of Dominica. At this point, numerous commentators suggested that the chase was over, and that there was nothing more that could be done to bring Skase back to Australia.