Former Syrian intelligence officer will not be extradited

Dubai: The UAE will not extradite a fugitive former Syrian intelligence officer, accused of misleading a UN probe into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, to his country because he is not wanted by the court in Syria, an official source has said.

Mohammad Zuheir Al Seddiq, who was a leading witness in the UN probe but was discredited later for giving false testimony, was arrested and tried after landing in the UAE with a fake Czech passport and sentenced to six months in jail by an Abu Dhabi court earlier this year. It is believed he came from France where he had been living in hiding after he was dismissed by the UN Special Tribunal, which will try potential suspects in the Hariri murder.

The Emirati source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Gulf News that Seddiq is not wanted by the international court. "We have asked the court if he was wanted by them but they said they have nothing to do with him," he explained.

Recent media reports claimed that Seddiq was wanted by Damascus but the UAE refused to extradite him to Syria because of "Western pressure".

No pressure

However, the source denied any pressure on the UAE which, he said, is not required to hand him over to Syria because he has not been tried and sentenced by a Syrian court. Seddiq is still in prison pending a decision on his possible deportation. The source said the case is being dealt with in accordance with the country's legal system.

A Syrian source had told Gulf News earlier that there was no official request to extradite Seddiq as there has yet to be a case against him.