First ever extradition from United Arab Emirates to Luxembourg amid fraud probe

The United Arab Emirates has extradited someone for the first time to Luxembourg, under suspicion of phishing-style fraud schemes and recruiting money mules, the public prosecutor’s office said on Friday.

“This person is suspected of having participated in structuring the fraudulent activities and of having recruited numerous money mules in Luxembourg, in connection with a group of other young participants,” the public prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Thursday’s extradition is part of ongoing investigations into phishing scams, the press release said, adding that more than a dozen victims have been identified “with total damages estimated at approximately €113,000”.

Under the scams criminals fraudulently acquire personal and banking data to steal money from bank accounts, with the assistance of individuals acting as financial intermediaries known as money mules, who accept the transfer of funds into their bank account.

The suspect is alleged to have played a “central role” in these scams, as well as laundering funds diverted from victims located in Luxembourg.

In July last year, Luxembourg authorities issued an Interpol Red Notice for the suspect and a judge had also issued an international arrest warrant for the individual.

The Interpol Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

A Luxembourg search team that tracks suspected fugitives had tracked down the alleged perpetrator, who was then arrested in Dubai in December. The individual is currently being detained in Luxembourg prior to trial.

On Tuesday, authorities also arrested a second person, considered “a key alleged perpetrator”, as part of the same investigation, the public prosecutor’s office said. The detained individual is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence in relation to a separate case.

Both of the accused are to face prosecution for the same offences and are suspected of belonging to the same gang of young people operating in Luxembourg, the public prosecutor’s office added.