PHILIPSBURG--Governor of St. Maarten Eugene Holiday on Friday signed off on businessman and casino owner Francesco Corallo’s extradition to Italy, spokesman for the Prosecutor’s Office Norman Serphos confirmed Tuesday. It is not yet know when Corallo will actually depart for Italy to face charges of tax fraud, forgery and money laundering for the amount of 250 million euros. Corallo will have to be picked up from St. Maarten by the Italian authorities, Serphos stated. Corallo was arrested on Italy’s request in December 2016, and an official request for his extradition was filed one month later.
The Joint Court of Justice approved of Corallo’s extradition, and after Corallo repealed his initial cassation procedure at the High Court in The Hague, this left the way open for the Governor to sanction the extradition.
Corallo and his legal team have always denied the allegations and claimed that Corallo’s company Global Starnet was in full compliance with the law, and that the legal conflict in Italy only concerned the late payment of taxes.
After Corallo’s arrest in December 2016, the Prosecutor’s Office seized a casino, 78 apartments, several vessels, and expensive watches, with a total value of U$ 226 million at the request of the Italian authorities.
