Nationalist Party urges government to block extradition of Maltese citizens to US

The National Party (PN) has called on the Maltese government to block the extradition of 27-year-old Maltese citizen Daniel Joe Meli to the United States.

Meili currently faces extradition over allegations that he was involved in trafficking malware on the dark web for a decade.

The National Party insists that any crimes committed by Melli in Malta should be tried there, rather than being sent abroad for trial.

In a statement issued on Friday, the National Party said that because the alleged crimes took place on Maltese territory, the government should not accept the extradition of Maltese citizens.

The party argued that Meli’s case fell within Maltese jurisdiction and that he should be prosecuted and, if found guilty, serve his sentence in Malta. This also applies when the offences for which the extradition request is made are also covered by Maltese law.

Meili initially agreed to extradition but withdrew his consent after changing legal representatives, claiming he was not in a good mental state when he agreed to the extradition. His new legal team, made up of Arthur Azzopardi and Franco Debono, has since launched constitutional proceedings to try to block the extradition.

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech and Shadow Attorney General Karol Aquilina met with Meili’s parents to discuss the case, stressing the need for the state to protect Maltese citizens facing extradition.

The National Party also stressed that the case demonstrated the urgent need to update Maltese law, specifically advocating for a legal amendment to allow a person to appeal an extradition decision even after initially agreeing to it.

Currently, under Maltese law, individuals who consent to extradition have no right to appeal the decision, which Meili’s lawyers argue is unconstitutional.

The Ministry of Justice responded to the developments, saying it was “closely monitoring” the case.

The National Party expressed its willingness to work with the government to speed up parliamentary discussion and approval of the necessary legislative amendments.