Spain suspends the extradition of Hugo Carvajal to the US 0:45
(CNN Spanish) --
The National Court of Spain agreed to suspend the extradition to the United States of Hugo "el Pollo" Carvajal, former director of Military Intelligence of Venezuela, according to documents obtained by CNN.
The decision occurs after that court received a communication from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), where the defense of the retired military officer filed an appeal.
Carvajal was arrested in Madrid in 2019 at the request of the US justice system, which charges him with drug-terrorist conspiracy, weapons possession and drug trafficking.
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The former Venezuelan official has always declared himself innocent of the accusations and claims to be the target of political persecution.
Before his capture, Carvajal had been unaccounted for since November 8, 2019, when the full Criminal Chamber of the Spanish National Court agreed to extradite him to the United States to stand trial for alleged drug trafficking, among other crimes.
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At the time, Carvajal said in a statement shared through his social networks that "that decision of the National Court is a legal aberration that violated my rights."
Later, the US State Department offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Carvajal's arrest and/or conviction.
Carvajal left Venezuela to take refuge in Spain some time ago.
He said that he chose that country because he trusted "that its institutions would reveal the lies and inconsistencies with which the US Attorney's Office persecutes me."
However, he later clarified that "far from protecting me, the Spanish government and the National Court have committed serious irregularities against me."
Hugo Carvajal