MARSEILLE, France: An appeals court in southern France says that an Italian mobster who was one of the country’s top 30 most wanted fugitives will be extradited to Italy.

The decision by the Aix-en-Provence appeals court, announced yesterday, to send the 40-year-old Giuseppe Falsone back home was made after two Supreme Court rulings on 4 August rejecting his appeals to remain in France.

Falsone, arrested in June on a Marseille street, told the Aix-en-Provence court on 1 July that he was “an honest person” in France. He said his name was Giuseppe Filippo Fridola. However, a DNA test gave away his identity.

Falsone is said to be close to Bernardo Provenzano, a top mobster arrested in 2006 after decades on the run. Two European arrest warrants had been issued for him.