UAE extradites real estate entrepreneur Danilo Coppola to Italy

Italian businessman has been convicted of numerous financial crimes

Danilo Coppola has been extradited to Italy to face charges including attempted extortion. AFP

Danilo Coppola has been extradited to Italy following an official request, the UAE and Italy confirmed in a joint statement.

The Italian citizen, who has been convicted of numerous financial crimes in his homeland, was apprehended in Abu Dhabi on an international arrest warrant.

Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice, and his Italian counterpart Carlo Nordio agreed to extradite the 56 year old in accordance with the bilateral extradition treaty between the UAE and Italy.

According to local media, his altercations with law enforcement include an arrest in Rome in May 2016 where Coppola was suspected of fraudulent bankruptcy. One month earlier, he had been sentenced to nine years for a string of bankruptcies totalling €300 million ($334.3 million, Dh1.2 billion).

In 2020, a Milan appeals court sentenced him to a seven-year prison term for fraudulent bankruptcy, a verdict upheld by Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation in 2022.

He also faces charges of attempted extortion and hypotheses of bankruptcy in Milan.

The successful extradition of Coppola is a reflection of the strong relationship between the UAE and Italy and demonstrates a shared to determination to pursue justice, the justice ministers said in a joint statement.

“These agreements firmly illustrate our keenness to enhance co-operation on legal and judicial matters according to best international practices, aiming to reinforce efforts that combat serious and organised crime," they said.

“This positive development in our judicial co-operation underlines our shared commitment to ensuring that there is no impunity for those who commit crimes and attempt to evade justice by seeking refuge overseas.”