The former head of Venezuelan military intelligence Hugo “Chicken” Carvajalrequested by the US justice system for drug trafficking, will remain imprisoned in Spain waiting for a European court to rule about his extraditiondetermined this Thursday a court in Madrid.
“The National High Court has rejected the request for the release of the former Venezuelan military officer (…) given the obvious risk that he could escapewhich would prevent its delivery to the United States“, Said in a statement that high jurisdiction in the Spanish capital in charge of extraditions.
The surrender to the United States of whoever was head of the Venezuelan intelligence services under the presidency of the late Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) was put on hold last March, when the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), before which appealed his extraditiongranted precautionary measures.
Carvajal, arrested in Spain in April 2019 at the request of the United Stateshad requested his release until it was known the ECHR ruling.
But the National High Court argued that “maintaining the situation of provisional prison is not only necessary, but essential” before the possibility of escapein addition to “being proportional, without any violation” of their rights.
The decision to extradite him to the United States “is final” and it only remains to know “the decision of the ECHR” so that it materializes, stressed the National Court.
El Pollo Carvajal has starred in a long legal battle in Spainwhich has included numerous resources of the accused, and even his escape, since he was a fugitive more than twenty months since the National High Court initially approved his extradition in November 2019.
In his flight, the 62-year-old retired general underwent cosmetic surgerywore mustaches and fake wigs and changed addresses every three months, according to police, who he was arrested again in Madrid in September 2021.
For many years figure of weight andn the Chavista regime until he turned around and joined the opposition to President Nicolás Maduro in 2019, Carvajal is accused by the United States of having belonged to a cartel along with other senior officials who he trafficked drugs with the former Colombian guerrilla FARC.
