Wesley Snipes could have bail revoked after 'partying in Dubai'

Wesley Snipes in Blade. Prosecutors say his international partying trips have to stop

Wesley Snipes happily posed for photographers as he mingled with guests including the Duchess of York and Sir Richard Branson at the “party of the decade”.

But four months later the pictures have come back to haunt the Hollywood actor, as American prosecutors claim they are evidence he breached the terms of an international travel ban.

They are now seeking to revoke his bail, and want to prevent the actor travelling abroad ahead of his appeal against a three-year jail sentence for tax evasion.

Snipes, the star of the Blade trilogy, Passenger 57 and Demolition Man, is seeking permission to travel to Namibia for two weeks next month to reshoot scenes for the long-awaited horror-western Gallowwalker. The actor, 46, then wants to spend three months in Turin, Italy, filming Game of Death.

However, prosecutors claim he ignored a previous court order which allowed him to travel to only to London last July for the editing of Gallowwalker and then to Thailand for the filming of Chasing the Dragon.

They say he flew 2,000 miles out of his way to Dubai last November and was photographed at the £14million opening of the Hotel Atlantis on the man-made Palm Jumeirah Island. Other guests included members of the the Dubai royal family and fellow actors Robert De Nero, Denzel Washington and Ben Afflek and the singer Dame Shirley Bassey.

Snipes’ presence at the opening ceremony, during which Kylie Minogue performed, was widely reported and when the actor returned to the United States he was ordered to surrender his passport, prosecutors claim, in an application to the district court in Ocala, Florida.

Robert O’Neill, Assistant US Attorney, said in court papers filed earlier this week: “Defendant Snipes abused the court’s trust and did so in a very public way. For that reason alone, the court should deny his current request for international travel.”

Prosecutors say that an examination of Snipes’ passport could reveal additional unauthorised international travel.

The prosecutors are also asking for the actor's $1million bail bond be revoked pending the appeal, which is expected this summer. They claim: “Snipes is no longer entitled to bail pending appeal, much less foreign travel.”

They also say that if Snipes is allowed to leave the country to film he would be in Namibia when the court could confirm his jail sentence.

“Notably, The Republic of Namibia has become known as a haven for international fugitives,” says the prosecution application.

The prosecution also claims that Snipes was allowed to leave the country last year only to complete existing contractual obligations, which is not the case in his current applications.

The actor’s defence team have opposed the travel ban, telling the court: “It is essential that Mr Snipes complete this project to satisfy his civil tax liabilities and provide for his family.”

Carmen D. Hernandez, one of his lawyers, said: “Mr Snipes has good reason to reply to the government's memorandum to correct factual inaccuracies and unfounded allegations regarding the circumstances of his trip to Dubai and voluntary return to the United States and other matters.”

They say Snipes has “never presented, and does not currently present, a flight risk”.

Snipes is appealing against his jail sentence as being unfairly harsh for failing to file tax returns between 1999 and 2001, during which he earned more than $13.5million.