By James Massola and William Davis
The wife of a former fighter pilot approved for extradition to the US has accused the Australian government of using Christmas to bury its decision, but vowed to continue the legal fight for his release overseas.
Daniel Duggan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 at the request of US authorities, who accused him of providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2009 and 2012.
Daniel Duggan served with the US Marines for more than a decade. Credit: Image via 60 Minutes
He has spent more than two years in custody at jails throughout NSW. The 56-year-old has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus approved the US extradition request on Friday.
“I absolutely think this was premeditated timing ... two days before Christmas,” Duggan’s wife, Saffrine Duggan, told this masthead on Monday evening.
“It was organised, and that is what makes it even more shocking and deceitful. We’re not being given a fair go.
“Our kids are just unbelievably sad at a time of year that’s so special for families to be together, and they get told that their father is going to be going away – possibly for a very long time.
“It’s unbelievable … my heart aches and I feel so thrown out with the trash [by] our Australian government.”
She said Dreyfus had refused to meet her since the arrest two years ago.
Duggan spoke to her husband on the phone on Monday. She has planned a family trip this weekend to the Macquarie Correctional Centre in Wellington, two hours from their home near Orange.
“He’s very emotional,” she said. “He is very sad. He’s been crying a lot because of the fact that he knows that he won’t be seeing his kids.
“We can see him here in Australia, but once he goes to the US – which is going to be soon – we can’t.
“To fund our family to go to the US ... to visit their father is seven return tickets.”
She vowed to continue the legal fight overseas, regardless of cost.
“Of course we will. How can you not keep fighting it?” she said.
“One of our kids today basically just sat outside on the lawn and just stared into the trees. I caught them crying in the shadow of our house.
“That’s the real reality of this ... that they take on the burden of something that young children shouldn’t be put through.
“There was a way out where our attorney-general didn’t have to sign the extradition at all.”
The arrest came shortly after Australian authorities said they were investigating the practice of former military personnel being offered lucrative contracts to train pilots in China.
In May, a Sydney court found that Duggan was eligible to be extradited to US, where he could face up to 60 years’ jail if found guilty. He has spent more than two years in detention in Australia, much of it in solitary confinement.
Dreyfus said: “Mr Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me.
“To ensure the safety of all persons involved and to uphold the integrity of the surrender process, as a matter of longstanding practice, the Australian government does not comment on operational matters relating to extradition, including the timing of, and specific arrangements for, a person’s surrender.”
Duggan and his wife, Saffrine. Credit: Nine
Duggan has the option of appealing to the Federal Court against Dreyfus’ decision to approve the extradition. The father of six had made a last-ditch attempt to avoid prosecution in the US, sending an 89-page submission to Dreyfus outlining why the extradition should not go ahead.
In an earlier statement, Saffrine Duggan said her family had been left devastated by the attorney-general’s decision.
“We are shocked and absolutely heartbroken by this callous and inhumane decision which has been delivered just before Christmas with no explanation or justification from the government,” she said.
“We feel abandoned by the Australian government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family. We are now considering our options.
“It is very difficult to explain to the children why this is happening to their father, especially now, at this time of year. We are all terrified that we may not see him for a very long time.”
After serving for more than a decade in the US Marines, Duggan moved to Australia in 2005 and founded a flight school in Tasmania. He has been an Australian citizen for nearly 13 years but is due to be extradited by February.
In 2014, Duggan moved to China from Australia to work as an aviation consultant for the Test Flying Academy of South Africa.
Under laws passed in 2023, following Duggan’s arrest and reports that China was looking to hire former ADF pilots to train its armed forces, former Australian defence personnel and public servants face up to 20 years’ jail if they do unauthorised work for foreign governments.
Former defence staff will not need ministerial approval to work for Australia’s Five Eyes intelligence alliance partners – the United States, Britain, Canada or New Zealand. This carve-out reflects the fact officials believe it is riskier for former defence staff to work for nations such as China or Russia than nations with which Australia has close security ties.
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