An Iranian man accused of trying to smuggle 73 people into Australia has appeared in a Sydney court after being extradited from Indonesia.
Mohammad Naghi Karimi Azar arrived in Sydney last night after spending two and a half years in an Indonesian jail, his lawyer said.
The 56-year-old appeared at the Central Local Court, via video link from a nearby police station on Thursday, facing 43 people smuggling charges.
Outside the court, Karimi Azar's solicitor said his client intended to plead not guilty to the charges.
"The burden of proof is on the prosecution," Mr Sayar Dehsabzi said.
"As of now we believe in the principle of innocence."
Karimi Azar is the eighth person extradited on people-smuggling charges since 2008.
The federal government said people smugglers continue to prey on the hopes of 14,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia who may be tempted to undertake boat journeys to Australia.
"It underlines that fact that the Australian and Indonesian governments will continue to co-operate to do what we can to prosecute those who are responsible for the human misery of the people smuggling trade," Justice Minister Michael Keenan said in Canberra.
Court documents show Karimi Azar allegedly facilitated the passage of 73 men, women and children between 2011 and 2013.
He did not apply for bail, with his lawyer Archie Hallas telling the court he and his client needed time to read a 100-page Commonwealth DPP statement of facts.
Through a Farsi interpreter, Karimi Azar told the court that police had taken documents from him including the names and addresses of his lawyers in Indonesia.
Mr Dehsabzi said Karimi Azar told him he was a registered refugee with the UNHCR and that he had fled Iran in fear of persecution because he's a member of an ethnic minority.
His wife and children are still in Iran, the solicitor said.
Karimi Azar will next appear at court on October 5.
