A court in Dubai on Thursday approved the extradition to Denmark of a British financier accused of orchestrating a $1.7 billion tax scheme.

Hedge fund trader Sanjay Shah is accused of masterminding a scheme that ran from 2012 to 2015 in which foreign businesses pretended to own shares in Danish companies and claimed tax refunds for which they were not eligible.

The Dubai government’s media office said documents show “his involvement in fraud and money laundering.” Shah was arrested in Dubai earlier this year following a request from Danish authorities. Dubai’s attorney general had appealed a ruling in September that rejected his extradition.

In a separate ruling that month, Shah was ordered to pay $1.25 billion to Denmark’s tax authority as part of a civil case in Dubai. His lawyers are appealing that judgment.

Shah’s attorney, Ali Al Zarooni, said he was “disappointed” with the latest extradition ruling and would lodge an appeal before the highest court in the United Arab Emirates, where Dubai is located. He said the defense team expects a final verdict from that court in the next two months.

The 52-year-old financier has maintained his innocence in interviews with journalists but never appeared in Denmark to answer accusations. His defense has argued in closed-door hearings that Denmark did not follow the procedures laid out in international extradition treaties.