Is Sébastien Raoult’s extradition to the United States imminent? According to information from the “Obs”, the 21-year-old Frenchman, detained for 7 months in Morocco, was notified on December 26 of his extradition decree signed by the Moroccan authorities. This is the last step in the procedure. From now on, his extradition can occur from one day to another. According to the Moroccan Code of Criminal Procedure, the requesting State has a period of one month from the notification of the said decree to “take the necessary initiatives so that the extradited person is received by his agents”.
Sébastien Raoult case: “I would like France to make its voice heard”, proclaims his father
On May 31, Sébastien Raoult, a former computer science student from Epinal (Vosges), was arrested at Rabat airport as he was preparing to return to France after a three-month stay there. His arrest followed an Interpol red notice issued against him by the United States. Sébastien Raoult, along with two other French people, appears among the main suspects of an FBI investigation into the ShinyHunters, a group of hackers who have targeted several private American companies.
A letter addressed to Catherine Colonna
On July 20, the Moroccan Court of Cassation, ruling in first and last resort, issued a favorable opinion on the American request for the extradition of Sébastien Raoult. All that was missing was the signing and notification of the extradition decree.
French student accused of vast FBI hacking arrested in Morocco
When the latter was announced, Sébastien Raoult’s lawyer, Me Philippe Ohayon, immediately seized the United Nations Committee against Torture. He believes that the Moroccan Court of Cassation did not verify in its decision whether the Frenchman claimed by the United States ran a risk of being subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. However, he faces a sentence of 116 years in prison for the offenses charged. The lawyer also asked the Committee to suspend the extradition procedure.
” The Committee against Torture blocked in a similar legal situation an extradition from Morocco to Turkey. I don’t see how, when a life sentence is incurred, without a guarantee of accommodation, the committee could make up its mind about the United States, but anything is possible. “, explains Me Philippe Ohayon.
A letter was also sent to Catherine Colonna, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, to inform her of the referral to the Committee against Torture.
