Spain's Extreme Right Requests Suspension of Extradition Treaty with Venezuela

Individuals who have fled from Venezuelan justice to Spain are now concerned with the extradition agreements in place between the two countries. Specifically, Leopoldo López himself recently made several comments regarding the application of these bilateral stipulations.

Not for the first time, López, the spokesperson of the far-right Popular Will (VP) party, has come out in defense of those of his allies who are also fleeing from their misdeeds in Venezuela. Such is the case of Ernesto Quintero, whom López defended in February of this year, and whose extradition was called off at the last minute.

It is obvious that, from López’s perspective, if Quintero were to be extradited by the Spanish government, it would signify a worrisome legal precedent that could be eventually used against him. In Venezuela, due to his activities with the ABA brokerage house, based in Maracaibo, the state of Zulia, Quintero was found guilty of fraud. Another similar case in Rolando Figueroa, who was found to be guilty of fraud as well, due to his illegal trafficking of cancer medication.

Halfway through 2021, the government of President Nicolás Maduro requested that Spain extradite Leopoldo López, the coordinator of the Popular Will party, who escaped from Venezuela, where he is wanted for inciting violence and hate. Furthermore, he participated both in the coup attempt on the April 30, 2020, and in the organization of the Operation Gideon paramilitary invasion of Venezuela.

With or against?
Despite the fact that the Spanish government has yet to officially comment on the matter, it is evident that it is delayed the application of the legal mechanisms in place that would send these offenders back to Venezuelan soil. These delays plays into the hands of the Venezuelan far-right.

Similarly, political actors and organizations such as the People’s Party (PP) of Spain, have formally requested that the extradition agreements between their country and Venezuela be eliminated.

In this regard, according to the news agency Europa Press, PP argues that “extradition is an instrument of cooperation between nations which implies mutual recognition of the legal systems, of the standards of the separation of powers, and of the quality of the state of law between different nations.”

(RedRadioVE) by José Manuel Blanco Díaz with Orinoco Tribune content

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

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