The Sydney Morning Herald reports that fugitive Australian businessman Christopher Skase, who reportedly has secured a Dominican passport for himself and three family members, has decided to ignore an order for him to leave Spain by the end of this week and is preparing a new plan to exploit loopholes in Spanish immigration laws. Skase cannot be forced to leave unless the Spanish authorities issue a specific deportation order against which Skase could appeal and the process could take several months. The newspaper reports that the television program Today Tonight revealed that Skase obtained Dominican citizenship after "investing" US$65,000 in the Dominican Republic. Australian authorities had hoped he would be forced back to Australia. The TV program claimed that Skase obtained DR citizenship for himself, his wife, Pixie, step-daughter Amanda Larkin and son-in-law Tony Larkin. The DR is believed to not have an extradition treaty with Australia. The program said that Skase is considering an investment in the DR. Skase is the former head of the Qintex empire. In 1991 he declared himself bankrupt with a corporate debt of $1.5 billion and personal debts up to $172 million.
