MIAMI –
The United States wants former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo to face corruption charges at home first and prevent him from settling the legal battle in California.
“Toletano must be detained because when legal avenues to avoid extradition are closed, the incentive to flee increases,” the US attorney’s office said. It also indicates that the former president may seek asylum in another country and thus avoid returning to Peru.
The allegation appears in a three-page document filed Monday night in federal court in Northern California, where Toledo lives. the former president was accused in his country of accepting 35 million dollars in prizes related to the construction of a road between Brazil and Peru. The Peruvian prosecutor’s office accuses him of conspiracy and money laundering and has sought his extradition since 2018.
“The court will revoke his bail order and order his detention” under the supervision of judicial officers, prosecutor Stephanie Cerva said in the document. As Jocus, says he, the court should command Toletus to turn himself at once to the pallivi.
A US federal judge certified his extradition in September 2021, considering that he met all the legal requirements, but the president launched a legal battle to prevent him from returning to the country.
The State Department approved the former president’s extradition to Peru in February and ordered him to turn himself in, but Toledo has sought various means to remain in the United States. It now remains for the court to determine whether or not to grant his request.
Toleti was arrested in the United States in 2019 following an extradition request by Peruvian prosecutors. He is currently serving probation after posting bail.
The request from the US Attorney’s office comes after the former president expressed his deep concern that he should return to his country and remain detained while he is on trial.
Peru faces a diverse political and social situation. Dozens of people clamored in the streets demanding early elections and the resignation of President Dina Boluarte.
The president came to power in December after then-president Pedro Castello was expelled from Congress and arrested after attempting to dissolve parliament to prevent a vote to remove him from office.
According to prosecutors, Toleti’s allegation of fear of returning to Peru is intended to avoid Peruvian justice.
In the judicial process, Toledo argued that the extradition treaty between the United States and Peru could not be applied to his case, because the country had not formally committed to him, nor had it provided the documents for specific accusations, as required by the treaty. He also said that there was no reason to believe that he had committed the crimes with which he was charged.
