Jersey Money Laundering Convict Challenges Extradition on Double Jeopardy Human Rights Grounds

It has been reported.

• Martin John Hill, a 58-year-old former Isle of Wight hotelier now based in Alicante, Spain, is to fight his extradition from Spain to Jersey on human rights grounds, primarily arguing double jeopardy.
• Hill previously pleaded guilty in September 2024 (via video link from Spain) to six counts of money laundering in Jersey’s Royal Court.
• These charges stem from transferring and handling proceeds of his UK VAT evasion (under-declared sales at the Burlington and Shanklin Beach hotels between 2014–2016), including moving funds from a UK Tesco Bank account to a Santander International Jersey branch (£165,500 + £10,000 + £86,500 in 2017), possessing over £340,000 in a Jersey account, transferring £340,500 to a Spanish CaixaBank account in 2018, and currency conversion within the Jersey account.
• A seventh charge was dropped when the prosecution offered no evidence.
• He had already been sentenced in England in 2019 at Southwark Crown Court to 30 months’ imprisonment (plus a 7-year director ban) for three VAT evasion charges.
• Hill claims the English court was fully aware of the Jersey transactions; he disclosed all his bank accounts to UK authorities, and the UK authorities chose not to pursue that aspect, making the Jersey case an alleged “copy-paste” of the English proceedings.
• He argues that further punishment in Jersey would breach the principle against double jeopardy (ne bis in idem), violating his human rights by exposing him to additional deprivation of liberty for the same underlying conduct.
• After refusing to travel to Jersey for his November 2024 sentencing, the Royal Court issued an arrest warrant and ordered extradition.
• As of April 14, 2026, Hill is in detention in Spain and due to be extradited to Jersey later that week.

European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)

• He fought the extradition in Spanish courts, planned a voluntary surrender on April 13, but continued resisting, and has lodged a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) against Spain.
• In the ECtHR application, he seeks revocation of the extradition order, a prohibition on surrender, and provisional suspension, claiming it would breach Article 6 (fair trial) and/or Protocol 7 Article 4 (double jeopardy) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Double jeopardy argument

• Hill also intends to raise the double jeopardy argument directly if he appears in Jersey. His wife confirmed his current detention and impending transfer. He has no prior ties to Jersey.
• The case highlights tensions between Jersey’s independent jurisdiction (as a Crown Dependency) to prosecute money laundering occurring within its financial system and the UK’s prior handling of the predicate VAT fraud offence.
• Success for Hill at the ECtHR or in Jersey would be an uphill battle, as jurisdictions often treat laundering as a distinct offence from the underlying crime, even if the funds originate from the same conduct and authorities knew the flows.

Bailiwick Express reports

 A convicted tax fraudster who pleaded guilty to laundering money through Jersey bank accounts – despite never setting foot in the island – has told Bailiwick Express he is pushing back against his extradition from Spain.

• Martin John Hill said bringing him to Jersey would violate his human rights, in a last-ditch attempt to stay in Spain.
• His wife has confirmed he is now in detention and is due to be brought to Jersey later this week.
• The 58-year-old man has no ties to the island, the Royal Court previously heard.
• In September 2024, Hill appeared in the Jersey court via video link from his Costa Blanca home to plead guilty to six counts of money laundering. The prosecution offered no evidence on a seventh charge.
• Hill was due to be sentenced on 21 November 2024, but after he refused to travel to Jersey for the hearing, the Royal Court asked for a warrant to be issued for his arrest and ordered him to be extradited.

HILL SAYS

• He planned to “voluntarily surrender to the Spanish authorities” on Monday, 13 April – but was continuing to fight against his extradition to Jersey.
• He had fought against his extradition in the Spanish courts and was taking Spain to the European Court of Human Rights.
• Extraditing him to Jersey would deprive him of liberty when he has already been punished in England, 
• Southwark Crown Court knew about the transactions through Jersey when he was sentenced there for three charges of VAT evasion in 2017, said Hill.
• That Southwark Crown Court decided not to prosecute that part of his file.

HILL is arguing (According to documents published on his website – as quoted by Bailiwick Express)

• In the European Court of Human Rights, that the Jersey prosecution constitutes double jeopardy - the prosecution or punishment of a person twice for the same offence.

According to HILLS complaint to the European Court of Human Rights.

• “The entire route, including Jersey, was subject to judicial scrutiny and criminal prosecution.”
• “Moreover, it must be emphasised that Mr Hill duly disclosed to the British authorities a comprehensive list of all his bank accounts.
• “Consequently, the authorities were in full possession of the relevant financial information.”

Jersey charges “a copy-paste” of the case in England

• The charges in Jersey, he said, were “essentially a copy-paste” of the case in England.
• Hill said that Spain’s extradition of him “would expose him to further deprivation of liberty based on criminal proceedings prohibited by the principle of double jeopardy”.
• He asked the court to order the revocation of the extradition order and to prohibit Spain from surrendering him to Jersey.
• Hill also asked the court to suspend the execution of the extradition provisionally.
• HILL  said he planned to argue double jeopardy in Jersey.

JERSEY MONEY LAUNDERING CHARGES

• Between 2014 and 2016, Hill had made inaccurate tax declarations to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs for two Isle of Wight hotels: the Burlington Hotel and the Shanklin Beach Hotel.
• He under-declared sales for the hotels and pocketed the VAT he charged guests.
• In 2019, Hill was sentenced for three charges of VAT evasion at Southwark Crown Court.
• The hotelier was jailed for 30 months and banned from being a company director for seven years.

JERSEY = SIX CHARGES OF MONEY LAUNDERING

• The six charges of money laundering in Jersey relate to the same fraudulent funds.
• Hill admitted that he had transferred the money from a UK account at Tesco Bank to an account at Santander International’s Jersey branch.
• In 2017, he transferred £165,500, then £10,000, and then £86,500 to Jersey.
• He also admitted one count of possessing the proceeds of criminal conduct, which amounted to over £340,000 held in a Jersey bank account.
• He pleaded guilty to one count of removing fraudulent money from Jersey by transferring the majority of the above figure to a Spanish bank account.
• Hill sent £340,500 from his Jersey bank account to an account at Spanish bank CaixaBank in January 2018.
• The final charge that he pleaded guilty to was converting criminal money.
• The court heard that Hill had converted a total of £28,487 to €31,392 within his Jersey bank account during May 2017 and June 2018.

JERSEY = 7^TH CHARGE OF MONEY LAUNDERING

• Hill pleaded not guilty to a seventh charge of removing criminal property from Jersey.
• This charge centred around the fact that he had allegedly sent €26,605 of criminal money from Jersey to Spain – using bank transfers, cash withdrawals and debit card spending.
• The Crown did not produce any evidence for this final charge, and the case was dropped.

Sources

Primary / Most Recent Article (the one you originally shared)

• Bailiwick Express (main source, published ~April 14, 2026) https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/news/alicante-based-tax-fraudster-to-fight-human-rights-case-against-jersey-extradition/

Other Key Articles from the Same Case

• Jersey Evening Post (very similar/recent coverage) https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2026/04/15/alicante-based-tax-fraudster-to-fight-human-rights-case-against-jersey-extradition/
• County Press (Isle of Wight) https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/26021761.former-isle-wight-hotelier-martin-hill-fighting-jersey-extradition/

Earlier Related Articles (Background on Plea, Sentencing & Extradition Order)

• Bailiwick Express – “Alicante-based tax fraudster ordered to be extradited to Jersey” (March 2025) https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/news/alicante-based-tax-fraudster-ordered-be-extradited-jersey/
• Bailiwick Express – “Alicante-based tax fraudster admits to Jersey money laundering charges” (July 2025) https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/news/alicante-based-tax-fraudster-admits-jersey-charges/
• Jersey Evening Post – “Money-laundering hotelier to be extradited from Alicante” (November 2024) https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2024/11/22/money-laundering-hotelier-to-be-extradited-from-alicante/
• Jersey Evening Post – “Hotelier admits to laundering money using Jersey account” (September 2024) https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2024/09/26/hotelier-admits-to-laundering-money-using-jersey-account/
• County Press – “Former Isle of Wight hotelier to be extradited from Spain” (November 2024) https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/24745456.former-isle-wight-hotelier-extradited-spain/

Archive / Tag Pages (for more context)

• Bailiwick Express tag for Martin John Hill https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/tag/martin-john-hill/

These are all the direct, publicly accessible news sources currently reporting on the story.