In a notable case involving extensive fraud related to dividend tax, the defense team for British financier Sanjay Shah presented a request for acquittal on Wednesday, citing violations of human rights. Shah, dressed in a blue t-shirt, listened to his lawyers’ arguments through an interpreter in the Glostrup Court (Retten i Glostrup). The defense team emphasized that statements made by several Danish ministers and a leading prosecutor have compromised Shah’s rights.
According to the European Convention on Human Rights, everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court. Defense attorneys Kåre Pihlmann and Mikael Skjødt argued that Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard, former Tax Minister Karsten Lauritzen, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and former Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod have made statements in violation of this principle. The lawyers claimed that these statements are so problematic that they should lead to Shah’s acquittal.
Shah, who was extradited to Denmark from Dubai in December, faces accusations of fraud amounting to nine billion Danish kroner (approximately 1.3 billion USD), along with attempted fraud exceeding half a billion Danish kroner (approximately 75 million USD). After over 20 court hearings, the evidence presentation has concluded, and the legality of the ministers’ statements is being revisited in the main hearing, as permitted by the Eastern High Court (Østre Landsret).
This time, the court consists of two legal judges and three lay judges who will also consider the legal aspects of the case. Among the evidence presented on Wednesday was a clip featuring Jeppe Kofod, who described the case on TV 2 as “welfare theft in broad daylight.”
Previous cases at the European Court of Human Rights have indicated that ministerial statements regarding ongoing cases in other countries—such as France, Croatia, Lithuania, and Georgia—resulted in findings of violations of the convention. Lawyer Kåre Pihlmann urged the court to take the Danish ministers’ statements seriously, even though it may be a contentious matter.
The court is expected to issue its ruling on the defense’s request for acquittal in the fall.