A former US fighter pilot and Australian citizen accused of training Chinese fighter pilots will be extradited to the United States to face charges of arms trafficking and money laundering.
Daniel Duggan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 at the request of the US after being accused of providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2009 and 2012. His arrest came shortly after Australian authorities said they were investigating the practice of former military personnel being offered lucrative contracts to train pilots in China.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus approved the extradition request on Friday.
“Mr Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me,” Dreyfus said.
“To ensure the safety of all persons involved and to uphold the integrity of the surrender process, as a matter of longstanding practice, the Australian government does not comment on operational matters relating to extradition, including the timing of, and specific arrangements for, a person’s surrender.”
Duggan and his wife, Saffrine. Credit: Nine
Duggan has the option of appealing to the Federal Court against Dreyfus’ decision to approve the extradition. The father of six had made a last-ditch attempt to avoid prosecution in the US, sending an 89-page submission to Dreyfus outlining why the extradition should not go ahead.
Saffrine Duggan, the pilot’s wife, said in a statement that she and the couple’s six children had been left devastated by the attorney-general’s decision.
