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Prosecutors office of Ecuador: Spain will extradite Pablo Romero
Posted On 15 Jan 2019
Ecuadornews:
Prosecutors office (PGE) of Ecuador reported today that the Criminal Chamber of the National Court of Spain has agreed to extradite Pablo Romero, head of Ecuadorian intelligence during the term of former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017).
According to a statement from the State’s legal defense, the Spanish court today issued a ruling in which it assumed Ecuador’s arguments at the hearing on January 9 for Romero to be extradited and be tried in the country for the alleged kidnapping of the opposition politician Fernando Balda, occurred in 2012 in Colombia.
The Prosecutors office assured that the decision of the National Court concluded that the documentation supporting the request for extradition provided by Ecuador “meets each and every one of the requirements established in the extradition treaty signed between the Kingdom of Spain and the Republic of Ecuador as in the Spanish Passive Extradition Law “.
Also, “the causes of opposition to extradition made by Romero Quezada during the hearing on January 9 are not admissible.”
The former director of the National Intelligence Secretariat (Senain) during Correa’s presidential term was called to trial by the Balda case in November last year, along with the ex-president and two other security agents.
On November 9, Ecuador requested the extradition of Romero to Spain, and the Criminal Chamber of the Spanish National Court accepted the petition.
Previously, Ecuador had requested the extradition of Romero by means of a diplomatic note on July 13, 2018, after Interpol España detained him a month earlier in the Madrid municipality of El Escorial, following the activation of the red alert at the request of the authorities. Ecuadorian
However, the judge of the Spanish National Court José de la Mata decided to release him until the procedural evidence of the case was known.
Against Romero, Ecuadorian national judge Daniella Camacho presented 25 elements of conviction to substantiate her call for trial, as alleged perpetrator of the operation by secret Ecuadorian agents, under his orders, allegedly attempted to kidnap the Balda opponent in August 2012 in Colombia. (I)
