Madhatta Haipe Extradited to U.S.

August 29, 2009

The United States Embassy-Manila announces the extradition, from the Philippines to the United States, of Madhatta Haipe on August 27.  Upon his arrival in the United States, Haipe was arrested by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on August 27.   The extradition, which occurred under the terms of the RP-US Extradition Treaty, was based upon a United States Federal Grand Jury indictment for various crimes relating to hostage taking of U.S. and Philippine citizens in 1995. 

The United States Embassy expresses its appreciation and thanks to the Philippine Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Philippine National Police for approving and implementing this extradition request.   “This case presents an excellent demonstration of international law enforcement cooperation,” said U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney.  “It is further proof that the criminal justice systems of the Philippines and the United States are able to effectively respond to violence and banditry by extremist groups, such as the Abu Sayyaf Group,” she added.

The indictment alleges that under the personal and direct leadership of defendant Madhatta Haipe, on December 27, 1995, 16 individuals, including 4 U.S. citizens, were abducted by heavily armed individuals from the heavily forested and mountainous Trankini Falls area near Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, southern Mindanao.  The hostages were threatened with weapons, forced to march through the jungle, and robbed of their valuables.   Between December 27 and December 31, the hostages were released as the kidnappers collected ransoms of one million pesos (about US $38,000 in 1995) and 500,000 pesos (about US $19,000 in 1995).

Presented to the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. by the Grand Jury in November 2000, the indictment charges Haipe with Hostage Taking, Using Firearms During a Crime of Violence, and Conspiracy, for which maximum prison sentences range between five years and life imprisonment.   An indictment is an accusation; a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Haipe will be tried in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.    He will be provided with defense counsel if he cannot afford one and all due-process protections afforded the accused in the United States’ criminal justice system, including the right to a jury trial.