Kobi Alexander Plans Not Guilty Plea
The fugitive ex-CEO of Comverse Technology Inc., who is wanted in America for stock-options fraud, told a Namibian court Monday he intends to plead not guilty and claimed the warrant for his arrest was invalid.
Jacob "Kobi" Alexander, the former chief executive of the New York maker of voicemail software, said he entered the southern African nation openly and lawfully and had invested in businesses there before he was arrested after a two-month international manhunt. Mr. Alexander was arrested September 26 in Windhoek at the request of the FBI. He is accused of making about $6.4 million by illegally backdating stock options.
A bail hearing began Monday in a Namibian court and will continue today. The Namibian government said it opposed bail pending a formal extradition request from America, said Justice Ministry official Dennis Khama. Marlene Williams, an FBI agent based in South Africa, also opposed bail.
America has 30 days to lodge a formal extradition request. U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf said last week she would seek Mr. Alexander's swift extradition to face charges in federal court in New York. In an affidavit filed with the court, Mr. Alexander, 54, an Israeli citizen, said he had transferred almost $16 million from Israel to Namibian commercial banks.
