Delhi court recommends extradition of woman to US

New Delhi, December 23

A Delhi court has recommended that the Centre extradite to the US a 50-year-old woman wanted there to face trial for allegedly trafficking parts of planes, including commercial and military aircraft, to Iran via Dubai and UAE without having any requisite license.

The court recommended extradition of fugitive criminal Sabooni Shahin, who was arrested in January this year at Mumbai airport, observing that offences for which she has been charged were extraditable and material furnished by the US authorities make out a case for her extradition.

“... I hereby recommend to Union of India to extradite fugitive criminal Sabooni Shahin to the requesting state i.e.

United States of America,” Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Ajay Garg said.

The court also observed that Shahin has voluntarily given her consent for her extradition to the US to stand trial in the case pending against her there.

The Centre, through special public prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta, had moved the court saying that a request was received from the US in March this year requesting for extradition of Shahin to stand trial in the case.

Matta told the court as per the records received from the US authorities, between January 2004 to May 2008, Shahin along with various others was involved in an alleged conspiracy in which individuals and firms in Iran purchased various airplane parts from the US.

He said goods, such as commercial and military aircraft parts, were purchased from the US unlawfully and these parts were exported to Iran via Dubai and United Arab Emirates (UAE) without having the requisite licence in violation of the Iran embargo, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Arms Export Control Act. — PTI