Latvian malware author to be extradited to US

A Latvian programmer who is said to have developed a trojan that looted millions of euros from bank accounts has been allowed to be extradited to the United States. This was recently decided by the European Court.

According to the lawyers of the Latvian, Denniss Čalovskis, the extradition to the United States would be in violation of the European human rights treaty. That is why they went to the European Court of Human Rights. However, the judges do not agree with Čalovskis and his lawyers: according to them there is no reason to think that the Latvian would be treated badly in the United States.

The programmer is said to be jointly responsible for a trojan horse that was used to steal money from users of internet banking. The makers of the malware are said to have stolen millions of euros and dollars from European and American bank customers. Čalovskis was arrested in late 2012. Previously, the Latvian foreign minister opposed the extradition, partly because of the high prison sentence that Čalovskis could receive: in the United States he could spend decades behind bars.

Incidentally, mistakes were made during the detention of Čalovskis. For example, it took too long for an independent judge to decide whether he was rightfully detained, which would have violated his right to freedom and security. He was also placed in a metal cage during a court hearing, which is a derogatory punishment according to the Human Rights Court.