London, Oct 4: A British-Indian businessman and his former wife are contesting extradition from the UK to the United States, where they face allegations of defrauding American healthcare programmes of millions of dollars through the use and distribution of cancer medicines that were not approved by US regulators.
Sukhi Ghuman and Kiranjit Ghuman, both 48 and currently living in the UK, appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London last week as part of proceedings linked to the US extradition request. The couple, who have since divorced, deny the allegations. They are also wanted in the US in connection with separate accusations involving the smuggling of medicines.
According to court proceedings, an arrest warrant for the two was issued by the US District Court for the Southern District of California in San Diego in October 2023.
Barrister Peter Caldwell KC, representing the US government, told the court that an investigation covering the period from September 2019 to April 2023 alleged that the Ghumans fraudulently obtained millions of dollars from Medicare and other American health insurance programmes.
US prosecutors allege that the pair sourced inexpensive chemotherapy medicines and other drugs from overseas that had not received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The medicines were allegedly administered to cancer patients at oncology clinics under their control in California and Arizona.
Investigators further alleged that some of the medicines used at the clinics were past their expiry dates, raising additional concerns over the treatment provided to patients.
The extradition case also involves allegations of a separate scheme concerning FDA-approved medicines. According to the US request, one of the oncology clinics allegedly purchased approved drugs from American medical wholesalers before reselling them without holding the required licence.
The alleged offences are said to have taken place while the Ghumans were residing in the United States. The drug smuggling allegations carry a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if a conviction is secured.
Lawyers representing the couple have opposed their extradition on human rights grounds. The Westminster Magistrates’ Court is expected to issue its ruling at a later stage.