Ontario Court Grants Extradition of Sri Lankan Gang Leader

Prasanna Nallalingam, detained at the Toronto South Detention Centre, will be surrendered to France after 30 days, pending the approval of Canada's minister of justice.

Canadian media reports that based on the facts of the case, Nallalingam supplied four members of the AAVA gang with weapons and instructed them to drive to La Courneuve, a commune located in the northern suburbs of Paris, to "smash up a vehicle" of a rival gang.

Nallalingam was arrested in Toronto in May 2024 after failing to appear for an immigration hearing. Within weeks, France applied to have him extradited on an outstanding arrest warrant.

At a court hearing yesterday, the main issue was whether France had enough proof that Nallalingam wanted the gang members to attack the people inside the car — not just the car itself.

Nallalingam's defence lawyers admitted their client had instructed the AAVA members to smash the car, but argued a lack of evidence that he'd known it would escalate any further.

Nallalingam is wanted for murder in Sri Lanka in connection with the 2016 killing of Sivakumaran Jeewarathna. Sri Lankan authorities say they believe he fled the country to France sometime after the incident.

As in all cases, the final decision on Nallalingam's extradition lies with the federal minister of justice, who can receive submissions to halt the process or impose additional conditions for up to thirty days.

The decision can also be appealed in Ontario's top court. In that case, a person cannot be extradited until after the appeal court has made a final decision on the extradition process.

Counsel for Nallalingam said they intend to make submissions to the minister and pursue further avenues to halt his surrender to France.