After Freddie Gibbs was granted bail and released from jail in France last week (June 16), the looming question remained whether or not the rapper would be extradited to Austria, where he’s facing rape allegations stemming from a 2015 incident.
Today [Thursday, June 23] the question was answered when, according to reports by France24, Gibbs will in fact be sent to Austria via extradition after a French court ruled in favor of the process. Gibbs, whose real name is Fredrick Tipton, has 72 hours to appeal the extradition. Gibbs’ lawyer, Michael Malka, says that although the rapper is considering appeal, he “has no intention of escaping justice, whether French or Austrian.”
Malka also reiterated that Gibbs maintains his innocence, and noted that due to the“harsh transfer procedure,” he would prefer to hand himself over to Austrian authorities freely.
Gibbs, who was released on $56,000 USD bail, will be forced to face his charges in Austria after being arrested on June 2 following a European arrest warrant issued May 31. As a result, Gibbs has been forced to cancel additional European concert dates in France and Portugal, and all dates scheduled for the Canadian leg of his Shadow of a Doubt tour.
