Toledo turned himself in to the US justice to be extradited to Peru

He was committed to the San Mateo district jail in California.

The ex-president Alexander Toledo surrendered yesterday to the United States federal police and was placed under arrest with a view to being extradited following the decision of the California judge, Thomas Hixsonwho ordered that it be made available to the authorities of that country.

The former president had to go to the Robert F. Peckham building, headquarters of the Northern District Court of California, in the city of San José, to comply with the order issued by Judge Thomas S. Hixson, however, it was delivered at another location.

In the national territory a preventive detention awaits him and he would be held in the Barbadillo prison, where former presidents Alberto Fujimori and Pedro Castillo are today.

When he turned himself in, he was wearing a green jacket and several suitcases. He was accompanied by his wife, Eliane Karp, and his attorney Mara Goldman. By turning himself in at a different venue than expected, he could not be captured by the national and international press.

After an administrative procedure in court, Toledo would go to a prison in the San Mateo district while he awaits the coordination of the Peruvian and North American authorities for his transfer to Peru.

Once Toledo arrives in Peru, he will be made available to the Judiciary, which will hold an identity control hearing, will refer him to Inpe, whose qualification board will determine the prison to which he will go and under what custody regime.

Alejandro Toledo’s lawyer, Roberto Su, confirmed that his client would arrive in Peruvian territory between Tuesday, April 25, and Wednesday, April 26.

The lawyer estimated that the former president will be in a prison in that country for about four days, until he is ready before the Peruvian Justice to respond to charges of corruption.

For his part, the head of the National Penitentiary Institute (Inpe), Javier Llaque, considered that “there is no problem receiving” former President Alejandro Toledo in the former Barbadillo prison, if it is finally determined that he be transferred there.

He also added, “very likely” that Toledo will go to the detention center of the ex-fundo Barbadillo, for housing ex-presidents.

“We have the conditions to receive it; that is beyond doubt,” he told Canal N, when he was reminded that former presidents Alberto Fujimori and Pedro Castillo are also there, and Ollanta Humala was previously there, with preventive detention.

INTERVIEW

On Thursday night, Alejandro Toledo gave his last free interview to the EFE news agency hours before turning himself in to the US authorities.

In his statements, he confirmed that he will comply with this requirement, but asked the Peruvian justice not to allow his “death in prison.”

“I ask the Peruvian Justice not to kill me in jail, let me fight with arguments,” he said.

ACCUSATION

The ex-president must answer before the Peruvian justice for the charges of money laundering and collusion, for the bribe of 35 million dollars that he would have received from the Odebrecht company that was benefited from the bidding for sections 2 and 3 of the highway interoceanic.

Currently, at 77 years of age, his lawyer Roberto Su has indicated that he has cancer and that prison could worsen his state of health. Before, in 2019, Toledo was arrested in California and spent 8 months in prison for risk of flight, but then he was under house arrest in March 2020 after Covid-19.

EXTRADITION

Yván Montoya, former head of the Extraditions Unit of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, said that the Interpol Peru police with a responsible officer, in addition to a representative of the Public Ministry – which is in charge of international judicial cooperation issues – and the Foreign Ministry, coordinate with the United States the time, date and place of delivery in Toledo.

“Generally, an airport is set, which is where the former president is taken into custody by US authorities and handed over to his Peruvian counterparts, who have planned a flight close to the time of handover, to be able to bring him to Peru,” he explained.

Then, he said that, upon arriving in the country, Toledo is received by the police and taken to the judicial entity that is requiring him to appear and undergo medical examinations.