Former CIA Officer Says She Is Set To Be Extradited To Italy

Enlarge this image toggle caption Barbara L. Salisbury/MCT via Getty Images Barbara L. Salisbury/MCT via Getty Images

A former CIA officer convicted in Italy of playing a role in a kidnapping under the agency's "extraordinary rendition" program said Wednesday that she will be extradited to Italy and sent to prison.

Sabrina de Sousa was convicted in absentia by an Italian court — along with 25 other Americans — of the kidnapping of Egyptian cleric Abu Omar off the streets of Milan 13 years ago.

The kidnapping was part of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" program, under which, as The Associated Press puts it, "terrorism suspects were kidnapped and transferred to centers where they were interrogated and tortured." The program was greatly expanded during the George W. Bush administration, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

De Sousa, who was working undercover for the CIA in Italy at the time of Abu Omar's kidnapping, denies personal involvement in the abduction. As NPR's Mary Louise Kelly reported last month, De Sousa says she and her son were on a school trip to the ski slopes in northern Italy, more than 150 miles from Milan, for the entire week during which Abu Omar was abducted.

Of the 26 Americans convicted of the kidnapping, some have since been pardoned, Mary Louise says, and none have yet served time in jail.

De Sousa appealed her conviction to Portugal's highest court, but the Constitutional Court said Tuesday that her appeal was rejected, the AP says.

"De Sousa says she's waiting to hear when she will be taken to Italy, where she faces a four-year sentence," Mary Louise reports. "De Sousa has battled her conviction through lawyers in Washington [D.C.], in Italy, and in Portugal — where she now lives."

As Mary Louise reported last month, critics of De Sousa point out that if she had stayed in the U.S., "the whole affair would very likely have gone quiet":

"Instead, De Sousa, who holds both American and Portuguese passports, decided to tempt fate and travel to Europe, when she knew there was a Europol warrant for her arrest. "Asked why, De Sousa says she became convinced her name would never be cleared unless she forced the issue. She also says she has close family in Europe, including cousins and a sibling. " 'As you get older, family becomes more important,' she says. 'While some people may think I did something really stupid, I just, you know, this was important to me.' "

In an email Wednesday, De Sousa told NPR it's her understanding that she will be heading straight to prison in Italy but that she hopes for some sort of appeal, Mary Louise reports.

De Sousa wrote, "I hope I am able to go to Italy safely, for the purpose of countering the charges against me, instead of being silenced."

Italian President Sergio Mattarella has granted clemency to other defendants in this case, the AP reports.

De Sousa said she wrote a letter to Pope Francis on Wednesday appealing for help. She writes: