Suspected hacker wins legal battle to avoid extradition to US

Daniel Joe Meli might not be extradited to the United States after a court ruled in his favour on Tuesday,

The 28-year-old was arrested in Malta on 7 February 2024 for allegedly selling and training criminals in the use of Warzone, a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) software that bypasses security systems and remotely accesses computers without the victims’ knowledge.

He initially agreed to be extradited to the US, but later challenged it by filing an appeal and a constitutional case since a certain law was later amended, which granted individuals facing extradition more reflection time.

The charges Meli would face in the US each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison.

However, the court has now upheld Meli’s legal arguments and dismissed the US extradition request. However, the ruling remains subject to appeal.

The court noted the unusual nature of the proceedings, which were being heard a second time after a legal amendment allowed individuals who had previously consented to extradition to challenge their declarations.

The judgment discusses the legal framework for extradition in Malta, including the requirement for ministerial authorisation and the rules of evidence.

Ultimately, the court denied the extradition request, finding that the prosecution failed to present sufficient admissible evidence, specifically citing issues with the authentication of documents and a broken chain of custody for certain affidavits from the US authorities.

Meli was granted bail by the Maltese courts last month and remains in the country as legal proceedings continue.

Meli was represented by lawyers Franco Debono and Arthur Azzopardi.