Former top gun pilot accused of aiding China fights extradition

An ex-United States pilot accused of unlawfully aiding the Chinese military will make his last bid to halt his extradition from Australia to face charges he claims are politically motivated.

Daniel Duggan has spent 19 months in a maximum-security prison ahead of today’s hearing, where he will fight a US extradition order.

The 55-year-old was arrested in Australia at the behest of the US after being accused of breaching US arms-trafficking laws by providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012.

He received about $100,000 for his services, US lawyers said during a successful bid to freeze the sale of his house after they argued the cash was illegally gained.

Duggan will appear supported by his wife Saffrine and his eldest daughter at the Downing Centre Local Court hearing in Sydney today.

The ex-pilot and his family argue the charges are politically motivated given the deterioration of the Chinese-American relationship and how long ago the alleged actions occurred.

Last month, he failed in a court bid to postpone the hearing after claiming he had racked up $800,000 in legal bills and was unable to fund his future defence.

He has since been denied help from Legal Aid and his family are seeking financial assistance through crowd-funding.

In a prison letter seen by AAP, Duggan said he believed his activities were lawful and that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the US Naval Central Intelligence Service knew of his work.

Saffrine Duggan has presented a petition with 25,000 signatures to politicians in Canberra, calling on Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to release her husband and end his extradition.

“He is an innocent Australian man, a political prisoner, who needs to be home with his family,” she said.