Kobi Alexander appears in Namibian court

WINDHOEK, Namibia

Tuesday, 17 June 2008 13:55:57

By RODRICK MUKUMBIRA - Associated Press Writer

Businessman Jacob "Kobi" Alexander, accompanied by his wife, appeared in a Namibian court Tuesday as part of his nearly two-year battle to stop his extradition to the United States.

High Court judge Alexander Parker reserved judgment at the end of a two-day hearing into a constitutional challenge filed by Alexander.

The 55-year-old Israeli citizen is contesting the appointment of the official scheduled to preside over his extradition hearing.

No date has been set for judgment to be delivered, providing yet another delay in the start of the extradition hearing.

Alexander, the former chief executive of voicemail-software maker Comverse Technology Inc., is accused in the U.S. in a scheme to pocket millions by manipulating stock options. He was arrested in 2006 and granted bail of $1.3 million.

Alexander, who has been living in the southern African desert country with his wife Hana and children since July 2006, has bought a $543,000 house, launched an annual $20,000 scholarship for gifted students and invested $2.9 million in an 84-unit low-income housing project.