THE fate of a North-East born businessman who faces a double murder charge in Singapore is set to be decided in the next few days.

Michael McCrea, 45, who ran a business offering financial advice to expatriates, was arrested in Australia after the remains of his chauffeur and the driver's girlfriend were found in his car in a Singapore multi-storey car park.

The businessman, who was born in County Durham but left in his late teens, later living in Nottingham, has been on remand in a Melbourne prison since his arrest in May last year.

Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison has said he will decide shortly whether to authorise his deportation to Singapore where detectives want to quiz him over the alleged murders in January 2002.

A court in Australia has already ruled he is eligible for extradition.

McCrea's lawyers are continuing to lobby the minister to reject the extradition bid - arguing there are no guarantees he will not hang if convicted of murder and that he would not face a fair trial.

The death penalty is the mandatory penalty for the offence in Singapore, but in a bid to persuade the Australian government to allow the extradition the government there has given assurances that McCrea will be treated as an exception.

Following the death of Kho Nai Guan, 46, and Lan Ya Ming, 30, McCrea and his girlfriend Audrey Ong fled to Australia.

They were later arrested in Melbourne on immigration irregularities before being rearrested on an Interpol warrant.

Ong did not oppose her extradition and in February this year was jailed for 12 years after telling a Singapore court she had helped dispose of the two bodies.

Ong said McCrea had killed the pair after an argument in his luxury apartment in the Orchard Towers area of Singapore.

McCrea admits he did fight with Kho, saying he was attacked with a vase and was acting in self-defence.

Solicitor Terry Grundy said that because his client was first arrested on an immigration matter, he should be deported to the UK where he would be protected by human rights legislation.