News

The US authorities have been accused of presenting fabricated documents
to French courts to support their demand for extradition of an Iranian
engineer, as his court postpones deciding his fate for the sixth time.

Majid
Kakavand, 37, was arrested in France in March 2009, at the request of
US authorities, as he was returning to Iran after a short holiday in
France.

The United States requested his extradition to stand
trial for allegedly breaching US embargo against Iran.

He is
alleged to have purchased a number of items that may have been of US
origin through a Malaysian company, while residing in Iran.

In
order for an extradition request to be approved, French courts must
decide whether the alleged acts of Kakavand would have violated French
law, had they occurred in France. This prerequisite is known as “dual
criminality.”

Having detained Kakavand, the French courts have
repeatedly requested further information from the US Department of
Justice regarding the allegations against the Iranian.

However,
since the US failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove the
existence of dual criminality, the judge asked for expert advice from
France's “General Delegation for Ordnance” (DGA), which is the body
responsible for weapons development and evaluations, and the country's
Directorate-General for External Secu... >>>