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Rabat – Morocco’s Court of Cassation has delivered a “favorable opinion” on the extradition of the alleged French cyber criminal Sebastian Raoult to the United States, AFP reported on Monday.
Morocco’s security forces arrested Raoult in May at the Rabat-Sale airport; the Frenchman was on an Interpol red notice for involvement in a cyber piracy case and is wanted in the US.
In its July 20 ruling, the Moroccan court did not order the extradition of the French criminal, but only said it was “favorable.”
It justified the ruling by explaining that the request for extradition was put in by the United States “within the period outlined by the law,” and that it was accompanied by all the necessary documentation such as an arrest warrant and information on the suspect.
However, the decision to extradite can only be made by the Prime Minister, with collaboration from the Ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs, a Moroccan source explained to AFP.
Raoult’s lawyer, Phillipe Ohayon, reiterated his request to open a judicial investigation in France, saying the decision “strengthens his determination” to obtain an extradition to France.
“This is not over. There is still a phase of governmental examinations for the process of extradition,” Ohayon told French channel BFMTV. “We have between 4 and 6 months to act and gain French jurisdiction.”
Raoult’s father, Paul, previously urged France’s Prime Minister to step in to stop his son’s extradition to America.
Paul Raoult, 63, denounced the lack of judicial protection from France, maintaining that his son is innocent. He also said it does not make sense to extradite his son to the US when “what he is accused of are acts he allegedly committed in France.”
US intelligence suspects that the 21-year-old is affiliated with ShinyHunters, a cyberterrorism group believed to be behind some of the biggest public data breaches since 2020.
Given the seriousness of the charges he is facing in the US, Sebastian Raoult could face a sentence of over 100 years in prison should he be extradited.
