Portia Australia investigated case against South African school
2022.12.20 03:27
Portia Australia investigated case against South African school
Budrigannews.com – A former British military pilot who is now the executive of a South African flight school under scrutiny by British authorities for training Chinese military pilots has been searched by Australian police but not charged.
In October, an additional former military pilot who had previously worked for the flying school was apprehended in Australia. Daniel Duggan, a former Marine pilot, is currently being held in custody in Sydney pending the Attorney General’s decision regarding an extradition request from the United States.
A police spokesman confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday that in November, Australian federal police executed a search warrant on the South Australian property of Keith Hartley, who is the chief operating officer of the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA).
The Australian newspaper was the first to report on the second pilot’s investigation.
Reuters did not get a response from Hartley. Dennis Miralis, Hartley’s attorney, stated that Hartley was requesting a judicial review of the police search warrant in Federal Court and had not been charged with any offense.
In a statement to Reuters, Miralis stated, “Mr Keith Hartley and TFASA firmly deny any criminal wrongdoing and will continue to exercise their legal rights under Australian law.”
In the same week that Duggan was arrested in Australia, Britain announced that it would change national security law to prohibit its former military pilots from working for intermediaries like the South African flying academy to train Chinese pilots. Neither TFASA nor its British instructors were found to have violated any British laws.
This month, a Washington district court unsealed a 2017 indictment, revealing that Duggan faces four U.S. charges, including violating an arms control law by instructing Chinese military pilots to land on aircraft carriers.
“Duggan gave military preparation to PRC (Individuals’ Republic of China) pilots” through a South African flight school in 2010 and 2012, the prosecution said.
Duggan has denied any wrongdoing.
An unidentified co-conspirator is also listed in the indictment as a British national who is the chief operating officer of “a test flying academy based in South Africa with a presence in the PRC.”
Miralis, Duggan’s attorney, stated that he had not seen the US extradition request for Duggan and was unsure whether it was based on the 2017 indictment or a new one. Miralis stated that he had read the indictment from 2017, but Hartley and he both declined to discuss the unknown British co-conspirator.
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He stated on Tuesday outside of a Sydney court, “The Attorney General has informed us previously that it should not be assumed that will in fact be the ultimate indictment upon which his extradition is sought.”
Miralis suggested opposing extradition. He has previously stated that Duggan is an Australian citizen who has renounced his American citizenship and denies violating any law.
