The Diplomat
The Third Section of the Criminal Chamber of the National Court agreed yesterday to suspend the surrender to the United States of the former head of Intelligence of the Venezuelan Government Hugo ‘El Pollo’ Carvajal on understanding that the Plenary of the Chamber did not comply with an order of the Plenary itself that must be formalised before executing the surrender.
In this way, the Chamber has corrected itself after Thursday’s refusal to suspend his extradition and ruled that he can testify as a witness from the North American country in the case on the alleged irregular financing of Podemos. All this after his defence urged the Plenary to complete a procedure that is still pending.
Legal sources told Europa Press that this is a mere formality, an agreement that the Plenary left unfulfilled when it authorised Carvajal’s extradition. This technical issue, which must be rectified by the Plenary itself, will not be resolved until at least next week. A plenary session has been called for the 29th.
This circumstance could allow Carvajal to go on the 27th, in person before the judge Manuel García Castellón, head of the Central Court of instruction 6, to testify in relation to the alleged irregular financing of Podemos.
On the other hand, sources close to the defence explained that the Plenary must meet to agree on the guarantees requested from the United States in order to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights once he is extradited.
This document, a sort of guarantee that the rights of ‘El Pollo’ will be respected in the United States prison where he will be held, will have to be sent to the US embassy, which will have to respond again to the Audiencia Nacional.
This new episode comes after the Court itself ordered on Thursday that Carvajal’s extradition be made effective once and for all. And this, despite the fact that García-Castellón has reminded his colleagues that he is summoned as a witness. The magistrates argued that, if he wishes to collaborate with the Spanish courts, he can continue to do so from the United States. They believe that this apparent willingness to cooperate is in reality a “delaying tactic”.
