A Sydney judge made a ruling on Friday stating that Daniel Duggan, a former U.S. Marine Corps pilot, can be extradited to the United States. The allegations against him involve illegally training Chinese aviators. This decision leaves the attorney-general as Duggan’s last hope of staying in Australia.
Magistrate Daniel Reiss has ordered the 55-year-old from Boston to remain in custody while awaiting extradition.
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His lawyers have acknowledged that they do not have any legal basis to dispute the magistrate’s decision that Duggan can be extradited. However, they plan to present arguments to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus explaining why they believe the pilot should not be handed over.
Duggan’s lawyer, Bernard Collaery, expressed confidence that the attorney would provide ample time to address all the issues that cannot be resolved in an Australian court under the Extradition Act.
In a statement, Dreyfus’ office mentioned that the government refrains from making any comments on extradition matters.
Saffrine Duggan, the wife and mother of Duggan’s six children, expressed her frustration by describing the extradition court hearing as nothing more than a bureaucratic formality.
She stood before the crowd of reporters and supporters, her voice filled with a mix of determination and hope. With unwavering conviction, she made a heartfelt plea to the attorney-general, urging them to re-examine her husband’s case and bring him back home. It was a request made with utmost respect and a fervent belief in justice.
According to Reuters, Duggan’s lawyer recently revealed that the pilot had unknowingly collaborated with a Chinese hacker.
The pilot has been in maximum-security prison for 19 months since he was arrested in 2022 at his family home in the state of New South Wales.
According to a recently unsealed 2016 indictment from the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., it is alleged that Duggan conspired with others to offer training to Chinese military pilots in 2010 and 2012, and potentially on other occasions, without obtaining the necessary license.
After serving as a major and tactical flight instructor in the U.S. Marine Corps for 12 years, Duggan, a talented jet pilot, decided to immigrate to Australia in 2002. His expertise and experience in the military earned him great respect. In January 2012, he became an Australian citizen, making the difficult decision to relinquish his U.S. citizenship as part of the process.
Duggan traveled to the U.S., China, and South Africa, where he provided training to Chinese pilots in South Africa, as stated in the indictment.
Duggan was employed at Top Gun Tasmania, a company that prided itself on being Australia’s top adventure flight company.
The website mentioned that he had extensive experience as a skilled fighter pilot, navigating harrier jump jets strategically across various aircraft carriers worldwide.
AFP has made a contribution to this report.
