TIRANA, Nov. 24 – Albanian authorities extradited Wednesday Almir Rrapo, a former government aide, to the United States where he is to stand trial for murder, kidnapping and racketeering.
Albanian courts decided to extradite Rrapo, 28, rejecting his defense argument that he could face the death sentence in the United States.
The former senior aide to Albania’s deputy prime minister Ilir Meta was arrested in July following a U.S. request. Rrapo is accused of being part of an international crime organization that engaged in murder, kidnapping, drugs trafficking, extortion, robbery, arson and other crimes in New York.
Rrapo’s lawyer Ardian Visha said they would wait for a reaction from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, which had asked Albanian authorities to suspend the extradition and allow his client’s trial in the country.
The handover was made early morning Wednesday.
Rrapo extradited to the US
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