The father of a woman who was raped and murdered almost two decades ago has called on the foreign secretary for help to have the main suspect extradited from Yemen.
Farouk Abdulhak is the only suspect in the killing of Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, whose “semi-naked” body was discovered in the basement of his flat on Great Portland Street, Marylebone, in March 2008.
Mr Abdulhak fled to Yemen via Egypt in the hours after the Norwegian student’s death, and despite desperate pleas by Martine’s family and Scotland Yard, the son of one of the richest men in the Middle East has not returned to Britain to face charges.
Brought up between the US and Egypt, Mr Abdulhak is the son of billionaire drinks tycoon Shaher Abdulhak, known in Yemen as the “King of Sugar”, who was close friends with president Ali Abdullah Saleh before the latter’s assassination by the Houthis in 2017.
Mr Abdulhak, who is on the Metropolitan Police’s most wanted list and is the subject of an international arrest warrant, had never set foot in Yemen before the murder.
Despite an active Interpol Red Notice, and the revocation of his US passport and dual Egyptian citizenship, Mr Abdulhak continues to avoid extradition to Britain as he has a Yemeni passport, which grants him a haven for now.
But after more than 17 years of negotiations with the Yemeni authorities, ambassadors and even Houthi leaders, Martine’s father is calling on Britain’s foreign secretary David Lammy to help close a loophole that means fugitives can live freely in Yemen, which has no official extradition arrangements with the UK.
He told The Independent: “As the father of a young woman brutally raped and murdered, the most ancient and grievous crime, its severity is compounded by the fact that the suspect has remained beyond the reach of justice, shielded by Houthi authorities in Yemen.
“Martine’s case illustrates how wealth and regional instability can obstruct justice and, most painfully, how they deny my family closure.”
He called on Mr Lammy to intervene and apply pressure on the Houthis to see if Mr Abdulhak’s Yemeni passport can be revoked given that he is a suspect in a “high-profile” murder case.
Mr Magnussen added: “A just resolution to Martine’s case would send a powerful signal to the international criminal community: crossing a border is no longer a guarantee of impunity.
“If her tragic death can contribute to a broader awakening, to a renewed commitment to justice for victims of gender-based violence across borders, then there is some small measure of solace in knowing that her life – and her loss – were not in vain.”
And addressing Mr Abdulhak directly, Mr Magnussen urged him to hand himself in.
“Get sensible: this case is not going away. Your situation is inferior than if you took the courage to go back to the UK and have your case tried in a fair trial,” he said.
Mr Magnussen admits that he has become tired of the “back and forth” of sending letters and arranging meetings with ambassadors and politicians, all promising him progress on his daughter’s case.
In a series of texts sent to BBC News Arabic special correspondent Nawal al-Maghafi, Mr Abdulhak admitted that he moved Martine’s body but said her death was a “sex accident gone wrong”, which he “deeply regrets”. He wrote: “I don’t know what happened, it’s all a blur.”
Mr Magnussen disputed that version of events, saying: “She had more than 40 wounds on her body – this isn’t part of a strangling sex act.”
Martine vanished after a night out with friends at the Maddox nightclub in Mayfair to celebrate finishing end-of-term exams, on 14 March 2008.
In 2010, Westminster Coroner’s Court heard she was last seen leaving the club with Mr Abdulhak at 3.20am. By the time her body was discovered, he had fled the UK on his father’s private jet to Cairo, where his family allegedly smuggled him over the border into Yemen.
DI Jim Barry, who is leading Scotland Yard’s investigation, issued a direct appeal to Mr Abdulhak in March.
“You have been running and hiding for 17 years. It is time to grow up and face your responsibilities to Martine and her family. Come to the UK now and explain all to a court and jury. Our pursuit of you will not stop.”
A government spokesperson for the Foreign Office declined to comment on extradition issues. They said: “Our thoughts are with the family of Martine Magnussen. We remain in contact with the family to provide support.”
