Andina

Toledo files motion to stay detention and extradition to Peru

Photo: ANDINA/Carlos Lezama Villantoy

Photo: ANDINA/Carlos Lezama Villantoy

13:19 | Lima, Apr. 20.

After a U.S. judge ordered Alejandro Toledo to surrender to the Marshal on Friday, April 21, Peru's ex-President filed a motion to stay his detention in the United States and extradition to Peru.

The emergency motion was filed in the early morning hours of Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where he previously filed a motion for reconsideration of said Court's decision to dismiss a precautionary measure filed by Toledo with the same purpose.

In the document, Toledo's defense states that the Court has not yet resolved the plaintiff's motion for reconsideration, so it requests that it stay his detention and extradition until an opinion is made on the matter.

Contradictory stance

This requests contrasts with earlier statements by Toledo's attorney, Roberto Su, who affirmed the ex-president would surrender to U.S. authorities on Friday.

In an interview with Exitosa, the lawyer said that Peru Posible party's leader would arrive in four or five days —the length of time that the extradition proceedings may take to complete. 

Furthermore, he questioned the fact that Justice Minister Jose Tello has referred to him as a delinquent, noting that this shows his bias.

On Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Thomas S. Hixson, ordered former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo to turn himself in to U.S. Marshal agents on Friday, April 21, 2023, at 9 a.m. (11 a.m. Peruvian time) to proceed with his extradition to Peru.

The order came after the United States Department of Justice requested to issue a new arrest warrant for the ex-president, in order to continue with the extradition.

Likewise, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied Toledo's latest motion to stop his extradition back to Peru.

During a virtual court hearing held on Wednesday afternoon, the ex-president's defense stated that no additional appeals would be filed so as to avoid delaying the execution of the extradition.

Alejandro Toledo —who resides in the U.S.— is being investigated by the Peruvian justice for having allegedly received a bribe worth nearly US$32 million from the Brazilian Odebrecht company to favor it in the bidding for the Interoceanic Highway, while he was President of the Republic (2001-2006).

(END) FGM/CVC/RMB

Published: 4/20/2023