The request of former president Alejandro Toledo (2001 and 2006) to avoid his extradition has been heard. The former head of state, accused of having accepted some 35 million dollars in bribes related to the construction of a highway between Brazil and Peru, will still remain in the United States.
As reported by the AP agency, Toledo announced that he would appeal the decision of Judge Laurel Beeler, who He rejected the habeas corpus filed by the former president to avoid his extradition to Peru to avoid a possible conviction for the Odebrecht case.
This new decision, in favor of Toledo, was also made by a judge in California and represents more time for the defendant, who has been trying to avoid his extradition for years, and occurs almost a week after Beeler ordered the case closed.
“The State Department is in charge of executing extraditions and can do so even when there are pending appeals, as long as there is an order from a judge that has accredited the extradition,” indicates AP.
Along these lines, they added that “It is unlikely that a person will be extradited when there is still a judicial process underway.”
The obstacles of Toledo
In September of last year, Judge Thomas Hixon, from California, certified Toledo’s extradition, but to hinder the process, the former president filed a habeas corpus petition and assured that he was illegally detained. In addition, he argued that the extradition treaty between the United States and Peru cannot be applied to his case because he did not have a formal accusation in our country.
However, Judge Beeler indicated that the treaty does apply between the US and our country, because Peru has already reported the corresponding documents on the former president’s case.
Keep in mind
- Alejandro Toledo fled to the United States in early 2017. The extradition request was submitted by Peru in mid-2018.
- The extradition process for Toledo, who is on parole, has been pending for four years. Peruvian justice also requires a similar measure for his wife, Eliane Karp.
- The former president lives in an apartment, located in a condominium in California, under surveillance. He can only be away from home for a few hours.
