A prosecuting officer yesterday insisted that a 56-year-old man, who is being sought by a California court to face criminal proceedings related to paedophilia and violent indecent assault on children, primarily an 11-year-old girl, should be extradited to face justice for what he has done.

Assistant Attorney General Donatella Frendo Dimech was making her final submissions before Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna who is presiding over the extradition proceedings of Maltese national Lewis Muscat, who lived in California for 40 years.

Mr Muscat is wanted in the United States for allegedly abusing a number of under-age children, including an 11-year-old girl whom he allegedly abused for three years. The girl is said to be his step granddaughter.

Dr Frendo Dimech argued that the man faces a maximum period of eight years in jail for what he has done and insisted that he should be extradited to face the consequences of his actions. She referred to an extradition treaty signed by Malta and the United States which specifically mentions this crime and other related crimes for which people can be extradited to the US or to Malta.

She said this treaty specifically mentioned violent indecent assault, defilement of minors and corruption of minors. Mr Muscat is being accused of all three crimes in the US.

Dr Frendo Dimech said the court must not give the impression that Malta is a safe haven for those who are trying to escape justice. She said Mr Muscat’s case was even more pitiful because he was the step grandfather of the alleged victim. She also referred to a video testimony of the traumatised 11-year-old girl in which she described, sometimes too vividly, exactly what the man had done to her.

Rebutting these arguments, defence counsel Chris Soler argued that the crimes for which Mr Muscat is being sought in the US are not extraditable and his client, he said, should not be sent to the US to face these charges.

He said the fact that the charges brought against his client are crimes in Malta did not necessarily mean that they were offences in California too.

The case was put off to 31 July for judgement.