Japanese Man Awarded $500,000 For Being Held In Bahamas Prison For 8 Years
Without A Court Hearing

In August 1992, Atain Takitota traveled from his home in Osaka, Japan to
Paradise Island, Bahamas. After losing about $7,500 in a casino, he
discovered that his luggage, including his passport and the remainder of
his money, had been stolen. Bahamas police arrested him later that night.
He was subsequently held in a Bahamas prison for 8 years and 2 months, in
part because he had amnesia and couldn't tell Bahamas authorities who he
was. The only justification offered by those authorities for holding
Takitota was that he was "an undesirable and his presence was not
conducive to the public good."

In November of 2002, the Bahamas Court of Appeal awarded Takitota $500,000
for his ordeal, saying that his being held for over 8 years was "particularly troubling."

See: Japanese Amnesiac awarded $500K for 8 years in Bahamas prison, http://www.
mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/14077945.htm.