A former US Marine wanted by Washington over allegations he illegally trained Chinese pilots is set to be extradited, after losing a bid to remain in Australia.
Daniel Duggan, 57, was arrested in the regional city of Orange in New South Wales in October 2022 at the request of the US. They claim he broke US arms-trafficking laws by training Chinese fighter pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012.
Duggan, who denies the claims and is an Australian citizen, appealed the extradition but on Thursday, a Federal Court judge dismissed the case, paving the way for his removal.
Outside court, Duggan's wife expressed her disappointment at the decision and called for government intervention.
Details in US court documents allege that Duggan did not ask for permission from the US government to provide military training to Chinese forces.
The father-of-six, who has renounced his US citizenship, faces up to 65 years in prison if found guilty of the charges against him.
Duggan's lawyer argued earlier that Australia should oppose the extradition because it did not have an equivalent law covering the US charges, a requirement of extradition requests.
However, in 2024, then-Attorney General Mark Dreyfus approved the extradition.
Duggan has 28 days to appeal the Federal Court decision, which also included an order to pay the government's costs.
Outside court, Saffrine Duggan stated her husband - who is held in a maximum security prison - is 'an ordinary Australian going about his business who broke no Australian law'.
She added, '[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.' The family has incurred substantial legal fees, approximately half a million dollars, during the lengthy case.
