Washington: A US federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of Umar Farooq Chaudhry, a dual US-Pakistani citizen accused of trying to join violent jihad overseas.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Chaudhry’s claim that the US government violated his constitutional right to a speedy trial.
The court ruled that the long delay in bringing him to trial did not breach the Sixth Amendment.
Chaudhry traveled from the United States to Pakistan in 2009. He was part of a group that planned to reach Afghanistan to wage jihad against US and allied forces, according to court records.
Pakistani authorities arrested the group in December 2009. Chaudhry was later convicted in Pakistan on terrorism-related charges.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He served the full sentence in Pakistan.
After his release, Chaudhry was extradited to the United States in December 2023 to face similar charges.
Once in US custody, Chaudhry moved to dismiss the indictment. He argued that the government waited too long to bring him to trial.
A federal district court in Virginia rejected that argument. Chaudhry then entered a conditional guilty plea, keeping his right to appeal the speedy trial issue.
The appeals court agreed that the delay was long. It said the delay was “presumptively prejudicial.”
But the judges ruled that the remaining legal factors did not favor Chaudhry.
The court said the US government had valid reasons for the delay. It pointed to the extradition treaty between the United States and Pakistan.
Under the treaty, extradition “shall not take place” while a person is facing trial or serving a sentence in Pakistan, the court noted.
The judges also cited the history of failed or delayed US extradition requests to Pakistan. In many cases, requests were ignored or lost, the court said.
Given this record, the panel said an earlier extradition request would likely have been futile.
The court said US officials still made repeated efforts to secure Chaudhry’s return. These included criminal complaints, arrest warrants, diplomatic outreach, and Interpol notices.
The judges described those steps as “reasonably diligent” and made in good faith.
The court also faulted Chaudhry for resisting extradition after his release from prison in 2020.
It said he spent nearly three years fighting extradition in Pakistani courts. That conduct, the judges said, showed he was not seeking a speedy trial.
On the issue of harm, the court found no actual prejudice.
Chaudhry claimed the delay hurt his defense and exposed him to harsh prison conditions in Pakistan.
The court rejected those arguments. It said the prison conditions were not caused by the US government.
It also said Chaudhry failed to show how the delay impaired his defence.
Chaudhry ultimately pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to the banned group Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors recommended time served and 20 years of supervised release. The district court accepted the deal.
In its final ruling, the appeals court said the delay alone was not enough.
Because the other legal factors weighed against Chaudhry, the court upheld the conviction.
(IANS)
