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Belgium seeks extradition of 41 criminals from the United Arab Emirates
Belgium is intensifying its efforts to bring high-profile criminals to justice, following recent successful extraditions from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After the transfer of Moroccan-born drug trafficker Othman El Ballouti in late 2024, and of Belgo-Moroccan Nordin El Hajjioui, also known as “Dikke Nordin,” Belgian authorities have filed requests for the extradition of 41 other individuals.
According to the Belgian Minister of Justice, these requests have been submitted since 2022 to Abu Dhabi: five in the first year, fourteen in 2023 – one of which was dismissed due to the death of the suspect – ten in 2024, and already twelve so far in 2025. Two additional cases are currently being prepared.
The process remains slow. Twenty-three cases are still in the preliminary phase, limited to an initial administrative review. Six cases have progressed to the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal, which examines extradition requests. However, nearly all decisions are challenged at the Supreme Court, significantly delaying proceedings.
Judicial cooperation between Brussels and Abu Dhabi has long been hindered by the lack of a legal framework. Only after the ratification of the 2021 extradition treaty in November 2022 could transfers begin. The first person extradited to Belgium was Albanian Franc Gergely, considered one of Europe’s largest cocaine traffickers, followed by “Dikke Nordin” in March 2023.
The year 2024 marked a turning point. By December, a new extradition was approved, and in July, three transfers occurred simultaneously, including the highly publicized case of Othman El Ballouti. “In a single operation, the total number of extraditions doubled,” noted the Belgian daily La Dernière Heure.
In less than two years, six extraditions have been completed. While modest compared to the number of requests, this trend reflects a new momentum in Belgium’s fight against international drug trafficking networks, which have links through Morocco, Belgium, and the Gulf region.