A North Korean man accused of laundering money lost a legal bid to halt his extradition from Malaysia to the US to face charges Thursday, but will lodge a final appeal.
Mun Chol Myong, who has lived in the Southeast Asian country for a decade with his family, was arrested last year following the extradition request from Washington.
He denies FBI claims that he led a criminal group that violated sanctions by supplying prohibited items to North Korea and laundered funds through front companies, according to his lawyers.
A Malaysian court in December approved his extradition but Mun challenged the move at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
His lawyers argued his detention was unlawful, as the allegations against him were of a political nature.
But a judge rejected the argument, saying procedures were correctly followed and Mun failed to prove the extradition bid was “politically-charged.”
