Youcef Madani ordered extradited over terrorism offence

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The High Court ordered Youcef Madani’s extradition to France over a terrorism offence in a judgment delivered by Mr Justice David Keane on 19 January 2023.

Madani was convicted in his absence in France in 2001 and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for participating in a terrorist organisation. The judge said information from the French authorities confirmed that he had been convicted of one single offence.

The offence related to activities between 1996 and 1998 in which Madani forged identification documents for Algerian immigrants and was involved in trafficking weapons from the Netherlands.

Mr Justice Keane rejected arguments that extradition should be refused because of the risk of inhuman or degrading treatment in French prisons and because the French prosecutor lacked authority to issue the arrest warrant. He also rejected an argument that Madani’s right to a fair retrial would not be met, saying his case could be fully re-examined after surrender and any new conviction could be appealed.

The judge also rejected arguments concerning where the offence was committed, the number of offences, medical treatment and Madani’s right to family life. He directed Madani’s surrender to the French authorities and remanded him on continuing bail, requiring him to surrender to gardaí when contacted.