DISGRACED property Jurgen Schneider spent a prison cell in Frankfurt his extradition from Florida to fraud charges. Mr Schneider - and his wife Claudia (50) flew Frankfurt almost two years after they disappeared from their luxury villa in the city leaving debts of more than five billion deutschmark (£2.1 billion).

Mr Schneider and his wife were arrested in Miami in May last year, after a worldwide hunt lasting over a year. The couple disappeared in April 1994 following the collapse of Mr Schneider's property empire beneath a DMS billion mountain of debt.

The US State Department approved their extradition two weeks ago, after Mr Schneider suddenly abandoned his efforts to avoid facing - German justice. As late as last November, his lawyers were predicting that the former tycoon would remain in the US for a further two years.

Mr Schneider has promised to fight any charges prosecutors file against him. He has consistently sought to present himself as a victim of the German banking system, accusing Deutsche Bank of abruptly pulling the plug on his business.

Prosecutors do not expect to lay formal charges against the Schneiders until the summer and their trial is unlikely to begin before the end of the year. Mrs Schneider, who is being held in a women's prison in Frankfurt, is expected to be released on bail soon.