US asks Portugal to review American fugitive case
Friday, January 13, 2012
LISBON, Portugal (AP) -- A U.S. Department of Justice official says the United States has asked Portugal's Supreme Court to review its refusal to extradite American fugitive George Wright.
Portuguese police captured Wright in September last year, 41 years after he escaped from a U.S. prison where he was serving a sentence for murder. He had been living in Portugal since 1993.
A Lisbon court denied an initial U.S. extradition request in November and freed Wright, prompting the U.S. to appeal to the country's Supreme Court.
But the higher court disallowed the appeal last month on procedural grounds.
Department of Justice spokesperson Laura Sweeney said in an email to the AP late Friday the U.S. has asked the court to review what she said was a "preliminary ruling."
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