Prioritising war mongering ally over Australian citizen. Dan Duggan to be extradited

Former “top gun” pilot Dan Duggan, wanted by the US for training Chinese fighter pilots, was told today his extradition could proceed. Robert Barwick with story.

Six months after hearing former US Marine pilot Dan Duggan’s appeal against the Attorney General’s decision to approve his extradition to the US, Judge Stelios today dismissed his appeal in federal court in Canberra.

Judge Stelios also awarded costs against Duggan.

Dan Duggan was not present at the decision, but his wife, Saffrine Duggan, said on behalf of the family that the family would continue to fight.

“We are very disappointed by this decision and will consider our options carefully,” Ms Duggan said. “But make no mistake; we won’t give up.”

Former Top Gun pilot loses appeal against extradition

No crime was committed

Dan Duggan was an Australian citizen doing his job when he was suddenly arrested for a foreign country, accused of activities that are not criminal offenses in Australia.

Duggan is not eligible for extradition, based on three allegations in the U.S. indictment against Duggan related to the training of Chinese pilots in South Africa. As an Australian citizen, he was not under US jurisdiction when he committed the acts alleged in the indictment, and

The allegations do not meet the essential requirement of double criminality as they are not criminal offenses in Australia.

When British pilots who worked with Duggan in South Africa faced similar allegations in 2022, the British government made it clear that they had broken no British laws and had nothing to answer for.

The Australian government was not as forthright as its British counterparts: in 2022, the Australian Federal Police arrested Duggan on behalf of the United States, and Attorney General Mark Dreyfus approved his extradition by retroactively applying a 2018 law that meant Duggan’s alleged actions in 2012 met the dual criminality requirement.

Duggan has been fighting the appeal ever since.

There are indications that the US and Australian governments are trying to influence the media and muddy the waters about Duggan’s activities by implying that he is involved in other legal cases in America and Canada, but these have nothing to do with the allegations in the indictment against Duggan.

Statement from the Duggan Family

Saffrine Duggan made the following statement on behalf of the couple and their six children.

“Our family has endured 1,273 days of horrific trauma since Dan was arrested in a supermarket parking lot after dropping our children off at school,” he said.

“Since that day, Dan has been locked up in maximum security.

“He was in solitary confinement for 19 months. He missed so much: first and last days of school, sporting events, birthdays, Christmases and anniversaries.

“We are an Australian family who were robbed of our husband, our father, our son-in-law, our property and our sense of security.

“Our quest for the justice, equity and sovereignty that the Australian people expect today does not end. …

“We will continue to defend Dan, particularly with our government, asking them to protect Australians from US overreach and malicious prosecution.

“Dan was an ordinary Australian operating his business legally in Australia when he was arrested by a foreign power.

“This has gone on long enough, enough is enough.”

The Duggan family is relying entirely on public donations to fund its appeal because it is ineligible for legal aid, and the US government persuaded an Australian court to freeze the sale of Saffrine Duggan’s property, which she was trying to sell to pay her legal bills.

Meanwhile, under Australia’s extradition treaty with the United States,

The Australian government is paying all of the US government’s legal bills related to the case.

The Duggan Family is weighing their options. Meanwhile, the only person with the authority to prioritize the interests of an Australian citizen over those of the US military is the current Attorney General, Michelle Rowland.

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