French woman extradited after giving up court case

Laurence Liegeois, a French woman who along with her partner, was at the centre of an extradition battle, has dropped a constitutional case and been extradited to France, where she will serve a 15-month term with her movements monitored by an electronic tag.

Her legal counsel, Emmy Bezzina, said this morning that her partner, Alan Schmitt, had vowed to continue the constitutional case and the fight against extradition.

“He will go to the whole hog, even to the European court,” Dr Bezzina told a press conference.

The couple is wanted by the French authorities for escaping from prison following their convictions for kidnapping, extortion and illegal arrest.

A Maltese court had upheld the French extradition request, but the couple filed constitutional proceedings claiming violation of their human rights over the way they were treated in custody.

Dr Bezzina said Ms Liegeois had opted to give up the proceedings because she wanted to see her son in France.

He insisted, however, that the application the couple had filed to marry in Malta ‘still stands’ even if they were to be married ‘by proxy’.

Dr Bezzina said Mr Schmitt is still being held in the forensics section of Mt Carmel Hospital, but he has now been assigned a 24-hour nurse.

He said that it appeared that Fr Mark Montebello was not being allowed by the prison authorities to see him. He had been refused access and when he asked why, he was told that it was for security reasons.