Sebastian Raoult’s Father: My Son Was Sold to the Americans

Paul Raoult, father of 21-year-old Frenchman Sebastian, expressed his anger at a Moroccan court’s decision to approve of his son’s extradition to the United States.

Rabat – Paul Raoult, father of 21-year-old Frenchman Sebastian, expressed his anger at a Moroccan court’s decision to approve of his son’s extradition to the United States.

Speaking to the French news outlet Liberation, Raoult criticized the fact that the French government has not demanded yet that his son be extradited to France instead.

“My son was betrayed by France. He was sold to the Americans,” he said. “What is France waiting for to regain control of this file?”

Having appealed to both France’s Prime Minister and Justice Ministry to intervene in his son’s case, Raoult especially voiced frustration over what he described as the “total silence” of French authorities.

The father has been voicing calls for France to intervene for weeks now since his son was first arrested in Morocco in May, arguing that his son is innocent and that he should have at least been extradited to France since the alleged crimes he is charged with are believed to have been committed in the European country.

The 21-year-old was arrested at the Rabat-Sale airport, as he was on an Interpol red notice due to his alleged involvement with ShinyHunters, a cyberterrorism group the FBI suspects of being behind some big public data breaches in recent months.

Morocco’s Court of Cassation delivered on Monday “a favorable opinion” on the Frenchman being extradited to the US, explaining that the application for extradition was submitted at an appropriate time and with all the necessary documentation.

Raoult’s lawyer, Philippe Ohayon, says that since the IP address where the crimes were allegedly committed was traced to France, the European country should have jurisdiction over the matter.

If found guilty in France, Raoult would face 5 years in prison, whereas the sentence would be much harsher in the US and could reach over 100 years of incarceration.

Speaking to French media on Monday, Ohayon said the extradition decision by Morocco’s cour “strengthens his determination” to seek an extradition to France, adding that the decision is not final yet.