The extradition of the Vosgien Sébastien Raoult was authorized to the United States within thirty days. He is currently detained in Morocco. He is accused of cybercrime by the FBI.
Detained in Morocco for seven months, the Vosges Sébastien Raoult is expected to be extradited to the United States, where he faces 116 years in prison.
He is accused of cybercrime by the FBI. “It’s a bit disappointing“, comments his father Paul Raoult on Friday December 30, 2022 after several months of struggle to try to bring his son back to France. “We have put in place the tools to best defend Sébastien’s interests and his request because he does not want to be extradited to the United States. His request remains to return to France to be tried in France. Not to evade justice but he wants to be tried and have a fair trial here in France”, explains Paul Raoult to France 3 Lorraine. The extradition will take place within the next 30 days”but it could be this afternoon or two weeks from now“.
And Paul Raoult adds: “So his request is not to be extradited to the United States, where he won’t have all the means to defend himself 8,000km from us. And we’re 8,000km from the trials because he’s in France. And there are obviously several people involved in this case So the other people are here in France and will never be judged. There will therefore be no confrontation and there will be no unfair trial. I ask for a fair trial here in France for events that took place here.”
Sébastien Raoult’s lawyer Philippe Ohayon tells AFP “having seized the United Nations Committee Against Torture, fearing his imminent extradition to the United States“.
Philippe Ohayon has appealed to the Committee Against Torture to suspend this transfer, relying on “several extraditions granted in recent years by Morocco” and which have been blocked by this United Nations body. “The Committee believes that Moroccan law does not allow sufficient control against the risk of inhuman and degrading treatment”.
The 21-year-old former computer science student was arrested on May 31 in Tangier (northern Morocco) on the basis of a red notice issued by Interpol at the request of American justice, as he was preparing to take the plane to return to France.
He doesn’t want to be extradited to the United States. His request remains to return to France to be tried in France. It’s not about evading justice, but he wants to be tried and have a fair trial here in France.
Paul Raoult, father of Sébastien
Sébastien Raoult is accused by the American justice of conspiracy to commit fraud and electronic abuse, serious identity theft and of being a member of the “ShinyHunters”, a group of “cybercriminals” suspected by the Americans of being behind the cyber attacks on companies. He risks 116 years in prison.
