An Australian father who served as a US fighter pilot is set to face court in the US after his extradition was approved by federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, as his devastated family say they feel ‘abandoned’ by the government.
Daniel Duggan, 56, has already spent two years behind bars over allegations he unlawfully trained Chinese military personnel.
The father of six made a last-ditch attempt to avoid prosecution in the US, sending an 89-page submission to Mr Dreyfus after a NSW magistrate ruled in May he was eligible for extradition.
But on Monday, Mr Dreyfus confirmed he had given Duggan’s extradition the green light.
Duggan’s children were ‘very sad’ about the decision, the family said.
‘We are shocked and absolutely heartbroken by this callous and inhumane decision which has been delivered just before Christmas with no explanation or justification from the Government,’ Mr Duggan’s wife Saffrine said in a statement.
‘We feel abandoned by the Australian Government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family.’
She said they were now considering their legal options, including whether to request the specific reasons for the government’s decision to extradite him.
‘It is very difficult to explain to the children why this is happening to their father, especially now, at this time of year,’ Ms Duggan added.
Mr Dreyfus confirmed the extradition had been approved but would not reveal when Duggan would be transferred to the US, citing a longstanding practice of the government not commenting on operational matters relating to extradition.
‘Acknowledging the public interest in this matter, I confirm that on 19 December 2024 I determined under section 22 of the Extradition Act 1988 (Cth) that Daniel Duggan should be extradited to the United States to face prosecution for the offences of which he is accused,’ he said in a statement.
‘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.’
Duggan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 at the behest of the US after being accused of breaching arms-trafficking laws by providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012.
He allegedly received about $100,000 for his services.
If convicted in the US, Duggan faces up to 60 years in prison.
Australia does not have equivalent laws.
In May, Duggan’s daughter Molly told 60 Minutes she fears the father she once knew has been chipped away after 19 months of of isolated imprisonment inside Lithgow Correctional Centre, 150km west of Sydney.
‘I probably won’t have my dad back again,’ she told the program.
‘He’s been in maximum security for so long.
‘Can you imagine being isolated like that for so long?
‘He’s not going to be the same person that he was before they took him.’
She doesn’t believe her dad is a criminal.
‘I feel like our world’s been torn apart and I want the trauma to stop,’ Molly added.
Duggan claims he is completely innocent and that he only trained civilian pilots with information available in online textbooks while in South Africa.
Ms Duggan called for Australia to put its foot down and avoid expediting her husband for an effective ‘death sentence’.
‘It means that my kids lose their father, our family is torn apart for something that can be stopped,’ she said.
‘It’s absolutely unbelievable to think that Australia would do this.’
