The Attorney General has contested a court decision rejecting the extradition of 28-year-old Daniel Joe Meli to the United States on hacking-related allegations. The May 13 ruling determined that, under Maltese extradition law, the US had not reached the evidentiary standard needed.
Between 2012 and 2022, Meli, from Żabbar, is alleged to have sold remote access trojans (RATs) on the dark web; US authorities believe they were used to illegally access computers of victims’. In February 2023, he was detained in a Malta-US operation together.
Though Meli first agreed to extradition, he subsequently changed his mind and opposed the request under fresh protections provided by Maltese law. The court decided that the US prosecution had fallen short of legal requirements for extradiction and had used a “fairly lax” approach.
Presently free on bail, Meli has gotten public support; more than 4,000 signed a petition against his extradition. Parliament’s petitions committee has backed the petition. Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Franco Debono represent him.
