Italy's highest criminal court ruled that Swiss businessman Walter Demuth can be extradited to the United States, where he is wanted on arms trafficking charges, his lawyer said Wednesday. Following the ruling by the Court of Cassation last week, Demuth's lawyer, Aldo Perla, said he did not know when the businessman will be extradited. U.S. judicial authorities in New York issued a warrant for Demuth in 1986 charging him with illegal commerce of military materials and defrauding the American government. He was arrested in Italy in September. Demuth, 63, was head of a Swiss company, Helitrade AG, that deals in arms and civilian aircraft. Last year, the Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick linked Demuth to arms dealing with Iran. The paper said Helitrade tried to ship 1,250 TOW anti-tank missiles falsely described as forklifts to Tehran for $7.5 million. Demuth was quoted as saying that the deal was never completed.
