Suspect of millionaire gold scam was released and will oppose extradition to Egypt
The Egyptian citizen suspected of being the author of a million-dollar fraud related to a gold buying and selling scheme in his country of origin, who had been located in Lisbon in May under an arrest warrant international certificate issued by Egypt, he was released this Friday by decision of the Lisbon Court of Appeal, his lawyer confirmed to Expresso.
The 31-year-old man, who allegedly harmed 18 people worth around 1 million and 800 thousand euros, was in pre-trial detention to “await the further terms of the extradition process†, according to informed the Judiciary Police (PJ) in a statement on May 2.
However, the formal extradition request sent by Egypt this month provides for the “serving a three-year prison sentence with forced labor†for the suspect, contradicting the initial extradition request. o, which presupposed that he would be “present in the criminal proceedings still underway in Egypt†, explained Eduardo Mauricio.
With the change in the terms of what he describes as “a complex extradition process†, the lawyer will now present the opposition to Egypt’s request, with a hearing already scheduled for that sense. “Egypt was unable to respond to the additional information requested by the Court of Appeal and by me as defense lawyer for the extradited person, which compromises the maximum period of detention provided for in articles 52.°, no. 1 and 63.°, no. 4 of Law no. 144/99, of 31/08, he added.
Eduardo Mauricio highlighted that, in the extradition process, “several offenses against procedural guarantees, especially due legal process, full defense, adversary proceedings, search for the real truth of the facts and non-compliance with the Law†were recorded, with the his client was “tried and sentenced in Egypt in absentia and without ever having been formally notified of any procedural act†.
The Egyptian is accused of the crimes of qualified fraud and abuse of trust, which allegedly occurred between January and April this year in a city in Cairo Province, according to the PJ. The man owned a jewelry store and led the alleged victims to believe that they would make money by selling their gold, thus appropriating 32,327 kg of this metal, the equivalent of around 1 million and 800 thousand euros. In Portugal, he could face a prison sentence of seven years.
The suspect is now prohibited from leaving the country and subject to an identity and residence permit.
