UK Liberal Party donor arrested in Caribbean

(The Guardian): The Liberal Democrats' biggest donor, who has been on the run for three years after being convicted of a multimillion pound theft, has been arrested by police in the Dominican Republic, the Guardian can disclose. Michael Brown, who bankrolled the party with £2.4m of stolen money, was detained near the resort of Punta Cana on the easternmost tip of the Caribbean island this week. Interpol has been informed. Named by City of London police as one of Britain's most wanted fraudsters, Brown, 45, disappeared while on bail for a £40m fraud and was sentenced in his absence to seven years in prison.

His arrest signals the end to an international hunt that has involved five law enforcement agencies across three continents, and could lead to his return toBritain to serve his sentence.

It will mean further embarrassment for Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister. The Lib Dems have refused to compensate Brown's victims, whose money went into the party's coffers to finance the 2005 election campaign.

Go to article