According to Lydie Lorang, Frank Schneider’s lawyer, there is still a chance that her client can receive a “fair” trial. “I really don’t understand why Luxembourg intends to do nothing to prevent the extradition of Frank Schneider to the US”, she noted.
According to the lawyer, the national judiciary could have opened an enquiry for money laundering since Schneider’s firm, Sandstone, was also active in the Grand Duchy. Schneider has voiced similar concerns that the prosecutor’s office never looked at his case. “If they had, Luxembourg’s territorial authority would have become clear as day”, noted the former agent for the Intelligence Service of the Luxembourgish State (SREL).
Our colleagues from RTL discussed the matter with lawyer Philippe Penning, who explained that Luxembourg’s politicians have no say in whether or not the prosecutor’s office opens an investigation.
Lorang, however, emphasised that they do not question the positions of the prosecution, nor that of Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. Nevertheless, she argued that her client only wanted a “helping hand from a humanitarian perspective.” Once extradited to the US, Schneider, who still protests his innocence, will no longer have the means to afford a proper legal defence. A jury trial is estimated to cost between $6 and $7 million.
Lorang believes that PM Bettel could have intervened by accepting the extradition in exchange for a guarantee that Schneider is not at risk of being sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Penning elaborated that Schneider, who is still in the hands of French authorities, can only be extradited to the Grand Duchy if there is an active investigation against him. The legal expert therefore thinks that the former SREL agent will likely be extradited to the US.
