Opinion ID: 2968430
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Extradition Procedure

Text: Extradition is a process by which a fugitive may be returned to another country to face criminal charges. The process begins with the MIRONESCU v. COSTNER 3 submission by a foreign government of an extradition request to the United States Department of State. See Restatement (Third) of Foreign Relations Law § 478 cmt. a (1987). The State Department then determines whether the request is covered by a treaty. See id. If it is, the matter is referred to the Justice Department for screening. See id. Assuming that the Justice Department deems the request to be valid, it is referred to the United States Attorney for the district in which the fugitive is believed to be located. See id. At that point, the United States Attorney files a complaint in the district court, seeking certification of the fugitive’s extraditability and a warrant for his arrest. See 18 U.S.C.A. § 3184 (West Supp. 2006). Once the fugitive is in custody, a district court judge or magistrate judge conducts a hearing to determine whether (1) there is probable cause to believe that the fugitive has violated one or more of the criminal laws of the country requesting extradition; (2) the alleged conduct would have been a violation of American criminal law, if committed here; and (3) the requested individual is the one sought by the foreign nation for trial on the charge at issue. See Peroff v. Hylton, 542 F.2d 1247, 1249 (4th Cir. 1976). Provided that these requirements are satisfied and that the applicable treaty provides no other basis for denying extradition, the judge certifies to the Secretary of State (the Secretary) that the fugitive is extraditable. See 18 U.S.C.A. § 3184. Although a judge’s certification of extraditability is not appealable, a fugitive may obtain limited collateral review of the certification in the form of a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. See Peroff v. Hylton, 563 F.2d 1099, 1102 (4th Cir. 1977) (per curiam). In considering such a habeas petition, the district court generally determines only whether the judge had jurisdiction, whether the charged offense is within the scope of the applicable treaty, and whether there was any evidence supporting the probable cause finding. See Prushinowski v. Samples, 734 F.2d 1016, 1018 (4th Cir. 1984). Following certification by the district court, the Secretary must decide whether to extradite the fugitive. See 18 U.S.C.A. § 3186 (West 2000) (The Secretary of State may order the person . . . to be delivered to any authorized agent of such foreign government, to be tried for the offense of which charged.). In deciding whether to extradite, the Secretary may consider factors affecting both the individual defendant as well as foreign relations—factors that may be 4 MIRONESCU v. COSTNER beyond the scope of the . . . judge’s review. Sidali v. INS, 107 F.3d 191, 195 n.7 (3d Cir. 1997). The broad range of options available to the Secretary includes (but is not limited to) reviewing de novo the judge’s findings of fact and conclusions of law, refusing extradition on a number of discretionary grounds, including humanitarian and foreign policy considerations, granting extradition with conditions, and using diplomacy to obtain fair treatment for the fugitive. See United States v. Kin-Hong, 110 F.3d 103, 109-10 (1st Cir. 1997).