'The Phantom' loses extradition appeal

Alleged conman Loizos Michaels wil need to return to New Zealand to face the music. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Alleged conman Loizos Michaels will have a team of Serious Fraud Office (SFO) prosecutors and 140 fraud charges waiting for him when he arrives in New Zealand this month.

Michaels, said to refer to himself as "The Phantom", was due to stand trial in Auckland nearly three months ago on fraud charges involving about $1.5 million but skipped the country for Australia.

He was arrested there in February and is in custody at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre in Queensland.

On Monday he lost his last-ditch appeal in the Brisbane Supreme Court to overturn an extradition order to bring him back to New Zealand.

SFO general manager of fraud and corruption Nick Paterson said it was now a matter for Australian and New Zealand police and Interpol to get him back to New Zealand.

Mr Patterson said there was an efficient extradition process in place so he should be here no later than the end of this month.

The prosecution case was ready to go and it would just be a matter for the courts here to set a date for a trial once he was back in the custody of New Zealand authorities.

Michaels is accused of ripping off some noteworthy people, including rugby superstar Jonah Lomu, whom he allegedly promised to make "the global face of kick boxing".

- NZPA