The lawyer for former US Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan mentioned he was “singled out” for extradition to the USA to face costs of coaching Chinese language navy fliers, despite the fact that different Australians offered navy companies to overseas states.
Australia’s attorney-general final month accepted an extradition request from Washington for Duggan, who was arrested in rural Australia in October. He stays in custody in Sydney, and his subsequent courtroom date is on Feb. 13.
Duggan is accused of coaching Chinese language pilots to land on plane carriers, and faces costs of cash laundering and breaking US arms management legal guidelines in the USA, based on a 2017 indictment unsealed in December.
He was arrested the identical week that Britain introduced a crackdown on former navy pilots coaching Chinese language fliers.
Duggan’s lawyer Dennis Miralis mentioned outdoors a Sydney courtroom on Tuesday that Duggan “contests and denies” the US allegations, and meant to contest the extradition request.
“He has clearly, in our view, been singled out in circumstances the place the Division of Protection has admitted that it has recognized of many Australian residents who’ve carried out overseas companies in different jurisdictions with overseas states of a navy nature,” he advised reporters.
The protection minister’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Australia launched a evaluate into the obligations former Defence Drive personnel have to guard state secrets and techniques, after studies Australians had been amongst Western navy pilots who had been approached to assist prepare the Chinese language navy.
Duggan was arrested in rural Australia in October after coming back from China, the place he had lived since 2014.
He grew to become an Australian citizen after serving within the Marines for 12 years, and later renounced his US citizenship.
The ultimate choice to give up Duggan could be made by the attorney-general after the courtroom decides whether or not he’s eligible to be extradited, Miralis mentioned.