High court rejects extradition request for Colombia’s former spy chief
High court rejects extradition request for Colombia’s former spy chief
May 28, 2014 posted by Camilo Mejia Giraldo
Colombia’s Supreme Court rejected a request by Congress to have disgraced former spy chief Maria del Pilar Hurtado brought back to country from her exile in Panama to face a series of pending criminal charges, national media reported on Wednesday.
The criminal chamber of the Supreme Court stated that it is the Prosecutor General’s Office and not Congress’ Second Committee of Foreign Relations that has the power to request del Pilar Hurtado’s — former director of the now defunct Department of Administrative Security (DAS) – return from her exile in Panama, Caracol Radio reported.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos had stated that he would request the former spy chief’s exile status be revoked by Panama’s president-elect, Juan Carlos Varela. Santos’ statement came after Varela announced he would review the ex-spy chief’s asylum if Colombia’s justice system requested him to do so.
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A wiretapping scandal within the DAS unfolded in 2008 after it was revealed that Colombia’s now-defunct intelligence agency had been spying on members of the Supreme Court, journalists, human rights defenders, and opposition politicians.
More:
http://colombiareports.co/high-court-rejects-extradition-request-former-colombia-spy-chief/
