British Indian pair fight extradition to US over alleged cancer drug fraud

A British-Indian businessman and his ex-wife are contesting extradition to the United States, where they face charges of smuggling unapproved medical drugs into the US and defrauding health insurance plans like Medicare of millions of dollars.

Sukhjit Singh Ghuman, 48, and Kiranjit Ghuman, 48, are alleged to have given chemotherapy and other cancer drugs to patients at medical clinics in California and Arizona between 2019 and 2023. The drugs were unapproved and some were expired, yet the clinics billed Medicare and other insurers as though they were giving patients approved, more expensive drugs, pocketing the difference.

One of the clinics allegedly bought FDA-approved drugs from US wholesalers and resold them without a proper license. The pair, who are recently divorced and live in Nottinghamshire, appeared at Westminster magistrates' court to challenge their extradition. Psychiatrists testified that both were suffering from depression and might harm themselves if extradited to the US.

Sukhjit's lawyer, Ben Cooper KC, argued that conditions in US prisons could be detrimental to Sukhjit, citing cases of inmates being denied water and potential extortion from gangs. US prisoner rights lawyer Deborah Golden also warned that Sukhjit could face persecution due to his wealth or Sikh religion.

Kiranjit's lawyer, Sara Norman, claimed Kiranjit was not actively involved in the business and only shared a bank account with her ex-husband, making extradition against her oppressive. USA attorney Peter Caldwell KC argued that the US takes its responsibility for prisoner care seriously and that a suicide risk is not inevitable. He also asserted that both Sukhjit and Kiranjit controlled the clinics and were charged jointly in the US, dismissing claims that one of them had a lesser role.