One of Australia's most wanted fugitives, James Dalamangas, will remain in Greece after a court rejected an extradition request from Australian authorities. Dalamangas, 56, fled Australia in April 1999 following the stabbing death of George Giannopoulos, 32, during a brawl at a Sydney nightclub. The murder remains unresolved.
Dalamangas was arrested in a village near Patras, Greece, last month after allegedly providing false information to police and admitting he was wanted in Australia. He had been living in Greece for 27 years under several aliases, reportedly working as a farmer.
The Patras Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday that Dalamangas was ineligible for extradition because the alleged offense falls outside Greece's 25-year statute of limitations. "The decision was made because the offence is statute-barred in Greece," his lawyer, Giannis Apostolopoulos, told local media. "Our arguments were accepted, particularly the fact that the offence had become time-barred under Greek law."
Following the court's decision, Dalamangas was filmed by a television crew, sporting a new haircut, giving a thumbs-up and a wry grin as he left the court. He remains free on restrictive conditions after recently receiving a suspended sentence on unrelated matters.
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The victim's family has expressed anger and disappointment with the court's ruling. "He can give as many thumbs-ups as he likes," said Toula Giannopoulos, George Giannopoulos's sister. "The whole world knows what he looks like and knows what he's done, and if he can live with it, good luck to him. For a person that is wanted by Interpol and is now allowed to cruise back home… disgusted."
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The Giannopoulos family plans to appeal the decision and has urged the Australian government to intervene. "We would like the Australian government to step in, as we need to take this matter to the higher courts of Greece," Toula Giannopoulos added. "It makes me angry that he's been living like nothing's ever happened while we've been fighting with Greece for the past 27 years to extradite him."
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A spokesperson for Australian Attorney-General Michelle Rowland stated that the government is working with Greek authorities and acknowledges the Giannopoulos family's distress. "The Government has, over many years, worked closely with New South Wales authorities to seek Mr Dalamangas' return to Australia to face prosecution in relation to the death of Mr Giannopoulos," the spokesperson said. "We continue those efforts with both New South Wales and Greek authorities."
Dalamangas had been the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, and the Australian Federal Police had renewed a $200,000 reward for his arrest in 2024. Previous attempts to extradite him from Greece in 2003 were unsuccessful. Greek authorities had initially agreed to prosecute him but suspended the process four years later when he could not be located.
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