A Federal Court judge dismissed Daniel Duggan's appeal against extradition to the United States on Thursday, where he faces charges of breaking US arms-trafficking laws by allegedly training Chinese fighter pilots. Duggan, an Australian citizen who denies the claims, was arrested in Orange, New South Wales, in October 2022 at the US request.
Daniel Duggan is an Australian citizen who has renounced his US citizenship. He was arrested in Orange, New South Wales, in October 2022 at the request of the United States. Duggan denies the claims against him, which involve allegations that he broke US arms-trafficking laws by training Chinese fighter pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012. The exact nature of the military training Duggan allegedly provided to Chinese fighter pilots remains unclear, and the specific evidence the United States has to support its claims has not been disclosed.
It's been 1,273 days of our family suffering terrible trauma since Dan was arrested in a supermarket car park after dropping our kids at school.
Duggan's lawyer argued that Australia should oppose the extradition because it did not have an equivalent law covering the US charges. If found guilty, Duggan faces up to 65 years in prison. He has 28 days to appeal the Federal Court decision, but whether he will file an appeal within that window is unknown.
Duggan is being held in a maximum security prison. The case has cost his family about half a million dollars, and an injunction placed on his family home meant they couldn't sell it, making it difficult to fund the case. Why an injunction was placed on the home and who initiated it have not been detailed. According to BBC News - World, Saffrine Duggan described the situation as 1,273 days of family suffering since his arrest in a supermarket car park after dropping their kids at school. She also described him as an ordinary Australian going about his business who broke no Australian law. The current status of Duggan's legal team and their plans for further legal action are not specified.
An ordinary Australian going about his business who broke no Australian law.