Seminole Lake Owner Arrested

https://www.caymancompass.com/2015/1...nian-fugitive/

Extradition approved for Romanian fugitive


By James Whittaker -

December 31, 2015



The founder of the secret police service of Romania will be sent back to his home country to face jail time for corruption, a court in the Cayman Islands ruled this week.

Mihai Tanjala, a politician and entrepreneur in the former Communist country was sentenced in 2011 to five years in prison for a fraudulent business deal. He fled Romania and has been on the run ever since.

According to testimony from an Immigration officer and an Interpol agent, he arrived in the Cayman Islands from Cuba, undetected, in September. It was only when he tried to enter Jamaica after boarding a flight to Kingston on Oct. 14 that anyone noticed there was an international warrant out for his arrest.

Romanian authorities were alerted and he was sent back to Grand Cayman to face an extradition hearing.

Tanjala, who appeared before Chief Magistrate Nova Hall in a two-day hearing either side of Christmas, attempted to argue that he had been unfairly convicted in his home country for political reasons.





He claimed his life would be at risk if he was sent back to Romania and pleaded with the magistrate not to approve the extradition request.

At one point during the hearing, Tanjala suggested that if the authorities did not believe he was innocent, he could serve out his sentence in the Cayman Islands.

"If it is expensive for Cayman to keep me here, I will pay for jail."

He maintained he was not guilty of the crime for which he was convicted. "I didn't make any crime," he told the court in broken English.

"You can't extradite me for something that didn't happen. I am not a criminal, I am innocent. Please try to see the truth. If I was convicted by abuse, what do you think will happen to me in Romania?"

The magistrate, in her ruling Tuesday afternoon, said the court had no jurisdiction to make a determination on Tanjala's guilt or innocence.

She said the court was satisfied that he had been convicted in Romania and said his claims that he was victimized for political reasons could not be substantiated.

She ordered that he be handed over to Romanian authorities. Mr. Tanjala has indicated he will now file a writ of habeus corpus in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands to officially contest his original conviction.

The court heard that he had absconded from Romania immediately after his conviction and had been a fugitive ever since. He claims he was fleeing an injustice and was attempting to reopen his case from exile in the U.S.

Tanjala was convicted of deliberately underselling property of a company, part-owned by the Romanian state, to a family member.

It was alleged that as administrator of the company IC IGMUG SA Giurgiu, he had become aware of an offer to buy the property from another firm, Zone Libere SA.

Instead of authorizing the deal, he orchestrated the sale of the asset to a company owned by his wife for a fraction of the price. That company then made the deal with Zone Libere SA at a massive profit.

During the hearing, Tanjala repeatedly challenged the evidence and cast himself as a victim of political persecution.

The 58-year-old was a member of the social democratic party that ruled Romania in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Communism and the execution of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

In the chaotic privatization of state assets that followed the 1989 revolution, there were numerous allegations of corrupt deals, including the appropriation of state assets and businesses at prices far below their actual value.

Mr. Tanjala, during the hearing, painted himself as a campaigner who had fought for the return of property and businesses taken from the people at the inception of the Communist regime.

He claimed to have won several legal victories in the civil courts against the Romanian state and brought corruption in the privatization process to the attention of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes in Washington.

The media in Romania has reported that he is actually accused of being on the other side of this process and could face potential prosecution in connection with other business deals if he is returned to his home country.

Mr. Tanjala cited this possibility himself as evidence he should not be extradited, claiming in a written submission to the court, "Currently in Romania there is an intensive media campaign on his extradition in Romania and it officially shows that he is expected to open new trials and to be sentenced to life imprisonment for indefeasible criminal offences, but which he did not commit, resulting in being sentenced for life."

Prosecutor Cheryll Richards said nothing had been presented that supported his claims that the Romanian system was not working in an appropriate way.

"There was no evidence for what he said that he was at war with the Romanian state," she said. "It appeared that he was following a legitimate process that had resulted in his favor ...

"He seems to have benefited from the very system he says is being used against him."

She said there was nothing to suggest that his crime was for anything other than the "ordinary criminal purpose of financial gain."

Magistrate Hall ordered that a warrant of committal be signed for his transfer back to Romania.

Any speculation on how this will affect the guys already running Seminole Lake in his absence?

From Rich on 9/17/15

"Seminole Lake Gliderport under New Management

The home of the Senior Soaring Championship is under new management effective September 10, 2015. We are still owned by Mr. Mihai Tanjala who is outside the US to pursue another business opportunity and he has placed the reins of the operation into the capable hands of two long time aviation professionals. Mr. Rich Owen has been named the company's Vice President and Mr. Clif Mcvay is assigned as the General Manager of the operation. Rich has been soaring for over 10 years and is a retired Navy fighter pilot and Delta Air Line pilot. He has competed in Standard and Sports Class competitions in the southeast and is looking forward to flying his new ASG-29Es in 18 meter class this year.
Clif (yes, just one "f" in Clif) is a long time powered pilot , Chief Flight Instructor, airport owner/manager, tow pilot and an A&P/IA. He brings a wealth of experience both in the cockpit and in maintenance.

Our goal at Seminole Lake is to provide the very best flight instruction to the aviation community, provide safe/efficient towing support for our local and visiting pilots, introduce people to the joys of soaring and to continue the tradition of hosting the largest one class soaring competition in the United States. The Senior Soaring Championship is on track under our Contest Manager Mr. Ky McAteer and we look forward to providing him every resource to make this year's contest a success.

Seminole-Lake Gliderport
352-394-5450
www.soarfl.com "

Doesnt bode well, I tried calling the seminole soaring office on friday, no answer, also no voice mail for leaving a message. I tried earlier in the week, same problem.

This article was from 12/31/2015. I was in the area and stopped in to check out the airport last week. They were sprucing up the building with some fresh paint in prep for Seniors and Clif was working on one of the Pawnees.

As of last weekend, they were fully operational.

On Monday, February 15, 2016 at 12:49:41 PM UTC-5, Paul Agnew wrote:
Any speculation on how this will affect the guys already running
Seminole Lake in his absence?

Rich reassured me this morning - no problems for the operation.
See y'all in Florida (after the convention),
Best Regards, Dave

Does anyone know if they are going to have the OLC contest this year after the senior nationals? And the date? Thats what I was trying to call them about last week.
Dan

On Monday, February 15, 2016 at 5:09:09 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Does anyone know if they are going to have the OLC contest this year after the senior nationals? And the date? Thats what I was trying to call them about last week.
Dan

I am sorry but somehow the phone's voice mail was accidentally turned off. That will be corrected asap (tomorrow morning at the latest).

Clif

P.S. The Seniors and OLC camp are "good to go."

On Monday, February 15, 2016 at 5:09:09 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Does anyone know if they are going to have the OLC contest this year after the senior nationals? And the date? Thats what I was trying to call them about last week.
Dan

Dan, The OLC Camp will commence on Sunday 20 March and run through Saturday 26 March. We have been on the SSA Racing page for upcoming contests and events since September 2015. The Camp is a go! My email address is .
Cheers, Rich Owen

On Monday, February 15, 2016 at 5:55:31 PM UTC-5, Clif McVay wrote:
On Monday, February 15, 2016 at 5:09:09 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Does anyone know if they are going to have the OLC contest this year after the senior nationals? And the date? Thats what I was trying to call them about last week.
Dan

I am sorry but somehow the phone's voice mail was accidentally turned off. That will be corrected asap (tomorrow morning at the latest).

Clif

P.S. The Seniors and OLC camp are "good to go."