Former CIA operative Sabrina De Sousa is fighting to stay in Portugal after she received a six year prison sentence in Italy for kidnapping an Egyptian cleric in Milan in 2003.
De Sousa was arrested at Lisbon International Airport on Monday because of an arrest warrant that was issued by Italy. De Sousa has citizenship in both the United States and Portugal.
In court hearings, De Sousa told a judge that she wants to remain in Portugal. She even stated that she would rather serve a prison sentence in Portugal than return to Italy.
De Sousa says that she was never informed about her arrest warrant in Italy. Authorities do not believe that De Sousa was trying to flee because she had already purchased a return ticket to Portugal.
At the time of her crime, De Sousa was operating for the CIA. She was originally acquitted because of diplomatic immunity, but was eventually found guilty in 2014 by the highest Italian court.
De Sousa was born in India, and she is particularly concerned about losing her freedom to visit her family still living there. De Sousa was reportedly trying to visit her 89 year old mother in India when she was arrested.
When questioned why De Sousa was not arrested at an earlier time, Portuguese authorities stated that they did not know that she was living in the country.
Lawyers representing De Sousa have stated that they will not comment on the case until an outcome is determined.
For now, De Sousa is being given a chance to present her arguments for remaining in Portugal to the court.
After De Sousa makes her case, the court will have ten days to make a decision. While the constitution of Portugal usually does not allow for the extradition of its citizens, the court will also be required to take the laws from the European Union into consideration.
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