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IN BRIEF
- US pilot Daniel Duggan is set to be extradited to the US over allegations he trained Chinese pilots.
- Duggan lost a Federal Court appeal on Thursday, likely ending a years-long battle.
A former U.S. fighter pilot, embroiled in a lengthy legal saga, is on the verge of extradition from Australia after his appeal was unsuccessful.
Daniel Duggan has been held in custody for three and a half years, facing allegations that he violated U.S. arms-trafficking regulations by instructing Chinese pilots in South Africa from 2010 to 2012.
He was apprehended in 2022 at the request of the United States while shopping in a regional area of New South Wales, where he resided with his wife, Saffrine, and their six children.
The long-standing effort by the Duggan family to prevent his extradition encountered a significant setback in December 2024 when then-Attorney General Mark Dreyfus sanctioned the extradition.
They contested this authorization in the Federal Court, which delivered its verdict on Thursday in Canberra.
Justice James Stellios dismissed the appeal and ordered Duggan to pay the government’s costs in a brief but bruising decision.
An appeal against the judge’s ruling can be lodged within 28 days.
Duggan’s lawyers argued the offence he is accused of was not classified as an offence in Australia at the time, which is contrary to the requirements of an extradition treaty.
An offence must have been criminal in both the requesting and requested countries for an extradition to be legally permissible.
Saffrine Duggan gathered with supporters to hear the decision being handed down.
She has been open about the crippling financial toll the legal battle has taken on her family, who estimate their legal bills amount to about half a million dollars.
Duggan has been refused Legal Aid, while an injunction placed on his family’s half-built house means they can neither sell it nor live in it.
He had been kept in a maximum security prison in central NSW around 100km from his family, Saffrine Duggan previously revealed.
Charges and an indictment were first filed against the Australian citizen in a sealed court case during US President Donald Trump’s first term.
Duggan previously wrote in a letter from prison that he believed his activities were not illegal and Australian and US intelligence services knew of his work.
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