The family of a man believed to have been murdered by a former Aberdeen student fear he may never face trial.
Harris Binotti was placed on Interpol’s most-wanted list after fleeing Burma in November. He is accused of beating Gary Ferguson to death.
The 26-year-old, who lived in the city from 2010 to 2013 when he studied at Robert Gordon University, was traced to a flat in the Craigton area of Glasgow in April. He had got a job in a call centre and had been visiting bars with his Belgian girlfriend.
Police Scotland confirmed that it was monitoring Mr Binotti, but said it had no authority to arrest him.
It is understood that Burmese authorities issued a formal request for him to be extradited to face questions over the death of Mr Ferguson last month. However, it is believe that Whitehall officials are worried about the prospect of sending a British citizen to a state that has the death penalty for murder. The final decision lies with homes secretary Amber Rudd.
Relatives of Mr Ferguson, 47, from Northern Ireland, are fearful that Mr Binotti, who also worked at Park Inn by Radisson on Justice Mill Lane while he lives in Aberdeen, may never stand trial. The victim’s brother Martin Ferguson said: “Gary’s son Jeremy has been denied the right to a father and will have to live with this for the rest of his life. When will the British authorities acknowledge our pain and that a crime committed in Myanmar needs to be dealt with in Myanmar.”
The Burmese authorities have declined to comment.
Before the incident Mr Binotti, who was born in France but grew up in Dumfries, posted a profile on a social media site for Scots in Burma. In it, he stated that his favourite thing about living in Asia was the “sense of freedom”.
The Home Office has refused to confirm or deny that an extradition request has been made until an arrest is made.
