Court Dismisses Former Monero Developer’s Bid to Have His Extradition to South Africa Declared Illegal

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in South Africa has rejected former Monero lead maintainer Riccardo Spagni’s bid to have it declare his extradition from the United States to South Africa illegal. In its ruling, the Supreme Court of Appeal insisted that Spagni did not sufficiently argue for the voiding of the extradition process.

Spagni Challenges Extradition Process

A South African court has dismissed former Monero lead developer Riccardo Spagni’s attempt to have his extradition from the United States to South Africa ruled illegal, a local report has said. In its ruling, the court argued that Spagni had legal representation when he voluntarily waived his rights during an extradition hearing, hence he cannot question the validity of the extradition process.

As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News in July 2022, Spagni, who initially resisted the extradition attempts, eventually agreed to return to South Africa on the condition that his “release on warning had not been cancelled and the state had to cancel it.” This then paved the way for Spagni’s transfer from U.S. custody to South African law enforcement.

However, according to a News 24 report, Spagni had, prior to his departure for South Africa, filed a suit with the SCA which challenged the Western Cape High Court’s handling of the extradition hearing. In the suit, which was initially dismissed, the former Monero developer argued that the extradition request should not have been submitted by the director of public prosecutions.

Spagni’s Moot Argument

In response, the director of public prosecutions reportedly suggested that Spagni’s argument became moot after he was transferred to South African authorities.

“It found that the appellant had failed to make out a case for this court to determine the validity of his extradition process as that would have no practical effect. The appeal was thus dismissed on mootness alone,” a summary of the SCA’s judgment reportedly stated.

Meanwhile, the report suggested also that Spagni’s trial will now continue at Cape Town’s regional magistrate court.

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Terence Zimwara

Terence Zimwara is a Zimbabwe award-winning journalist, author and writer. He has written extensively about the economic troubles of some African countries as well as how digital…