The Danish National Unit for Special Crime (NSK) yesterday (6 December) brought Sanjay Shah, one of the main suspects in the high profit and long running "cum-ex" dividend scandal, from Dubai to Denmark. 

Shah is accused of defrauding the Danish authorities to the tune of around £1.3bn.

In March 2022 the UAE had signed an extradition agreement with Denmark in March 2022, and the official Emirati news agency WAM said "the extradition confirms the UAE's determination to collaborate with international partners in the pursuit of international justice, and to strengthen the integrity of the international financial system".

The NSK said it would be expected that the prosecuting authority in Denmark will request that the accused be remanded in custody. The criminal case against the suspected perpetrator is scheduled for 8 January next year.

Danish minister of justice Peter Hummelgaard said: "Today is a very good day to be Minister of Justice. The extradition is the provisional culmination of several years of hard and thorough work by the authorities to ensure that one of the alleged perpetrators in the dividend case can be prosecuted in Denmark. I am beyond satisfied that the work has now been completed. Because it is deeply offensive to the sense of justice if you can avoid prosecution by staying abroad.

"The dividend case is an important case for Denmark, and it is one of the largest and most serious criminal fraud cases. It is our treasury, our welfare society and our trusting community that are at stake.

"In principle, the extradition is proof of a strong Danish legal system, where the specific case must now be allowed to take its course. I would like to thank the authorities of the United Arab Emirates for their close and good cooperation in the matter. Both in relation to the specific case and in connection with the bilateral agreements on extradition and legal aid between Denmark and the United Arab Emirates, which were signed in March and which entered into force in November 2022."

The extradition is the result of close cooperation with the Emirati authorities.

Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said: "I am more than satisfied that it has been possible to extradite Sanjay Shah to Denmark. With the extradition, we send an important signal that you cannot achieve impunity by staying abroad.

"It has required several years of hard work from a number of Danish authorities, including a great diplomatic effort to get here. I would also like to thank the authorities of the United Arab Emirates for the good cooperation, as well as Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with whom I had a good conversation as recently as last week."

Danish minister of taxation Jeppe Bruus said: "The case is one of the biggest criminal fraud cases in Danish history, and it goes without saying that we as a society cannot accept that our state treasury is exposed to it. With the extradition, we are sending a strong signal that the Danish authorities are pursuing economic crime across national borders as well.

"In addition to being happy about today's extradition, I am also happy to say that, parallel to the criminal trail of the dividend case, over 500 civil lawsuits have been filed worldwide with a view to getting the many billions back to Denmark. So far, just over DKK 1.5 billion has been brought home to the state treasury, and we will continue that work undeterred."

On 3 April 2023, the Court of Cassation in the United Arab Emirates made a final decision that the person in question could be extradited to Denmark. The extradition took place after a long period of cooperation between the Danish authorities and the authorities in the United Arab Emirates. The Danish criminal case is scheduled for 8 January 2024 in the Court in Glostrup.

Other EU countries have entered into similar agreements with the United Arab Emirates.