The indictment prepared against Duggan, who was arrested in an Australian town in October at the request of the USA, was announced by the Washington District Court.
“Duggan provided military training to pilots of the People’s Republic of China through a South African flight school three times in 2010 and 2012,” said the indictment, which includes the investigation that began in 2017. expression was used.
In the indictment, which states that the South African-based flight school also has a branch in China, and among its managers, a South African and a British citizen, as well as a Chinese citizen collecting military information for the Chinese army, Duggan was a Chinese pilot, especially on the tactics of landing on aircraft carriers. It was claimed that he gave training to his trainees on many subjects related to naval aviation.
Duggan, who allegedly signed a contract with an unnamed Chinese national to provide this training. USA It was stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned about this via e-mail, but the former pilot did not get permission from the US government.
TRAINED CHINESE PILOTS WITH US AIRCRAFT
The indictment states that Duggan is a dual citizen of the USA and Australia, has traveled frequently between Australia, the USA, China and South Africa starting in 2009, has submitted a report on aviation and aircraft carrier training to China in 2010, and has been awarded by the USA to China. It was alleged that he was involved in the violation of the arms embargo imposed on Turkey.
The Chinese citizen who made an agreement with Duggan also mediated the agreement between the said flight school and China to provide naval aviation training to Chinese pilots. It was stated that he bought a T-2 Buckeye type trainer aircraft from a company in Turkey.
THE FIRST TRIAL IS EXPECTED TO BE HELD THIS WEEK
Duggan will be charged with four counts, including illegally exporting defense services to China, defrauding the United States, money laundering and violating arms export control law and international arms traffic regulations.
The first hearing of Duggan, who was detained in the town of Orange on October 21, 2022 and held in Sydney, is expected this week.
The US and Australia have an extradition treaty, but Duggan’s lawyer, Dennis Miralis, argues that his client renounced his US citizenship and did not violate any laws as an Australian citizen.
After serving 10 years in the US Marine Corps, Duggan moved to Australia in 2002 and then to Beijing in 2014.
Duggan, who allegedly continued his relations with China despite the warnings of the foreign ministry, was once again stuck on the radar of the USA in 2014.
It was determined that Chinese businessman Su Bin, who was arrested in Canada in July 2014 and sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in a high-profile hacking case involving the theft of information on US military aircraft designs, was staying at the same address in Beijing as Duggan.
Shortly after Duggan’s arrest, the UK announced that it was taking legal action against its citizens, whose names were involved in the allegations of providing military training to China.
Photo: AA