Three British bankers have been extradited to the United States to face charges related to the energy company Enron.
U.S. marshals escorted David Bermingham, Gary Mulgrew and Giles Darby on Thursday's flight to Texas to stand trial for alleged fraud.
The three are accused of defrauding their former British employer, National Westminster Bank, in the sale of an Enron partnership. The men deny the charges.
The case ignited political protest in Britain over the legality of the treaty used to extradite the men.
In an emergency debate in parliament Wednesday, opposition lawmakers claimed the treaty, ratified in Britain but not America, is unfair. They say it allows extradition of British citizens to the U.S. without American authorities presenting evidence of criminal actions.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has defended the treaty, which speeds up the extradition process of alleged criminals to the U.S.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.