Frenchman in ‘air cocaine’ case to stay in Dominican Republic jail

Santo Domingo.- A National District court on Tuesday ruledagainst an appeal by the French national Christophe Naudin, charged in theescape last year of two pilots from his country convicted to 20 years in prisonfor drug trafficking in the “air cocaine” case.

Naudin, sent to the Dominican Republic by Egyptianauthorities on an arrest warrant filed by Dominican prosecutors, alleges thathis extradition was unlawful.

The National District 3rd Appellate Court ruled againstNaudin’s motion for release, and will continue in pretrial detention.

Naudin’s lawyers claimed that his extradition violated internationalconventions and national laws.

The prosecution denied the allegation and denounced allegedmanipulations and misrepresentations of the proceedings by French media.

Naudin had admitted publicly in France that he orchestratedlast year’s escape of French pilots Pascal Jean Fauret and Bruno Odos,sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking, but were under housearrest pending appeal.