Colombia will not extradite 'El Aleman'

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia will not extradite 'El Aleman'
Wednesday, 16 June 2010 06:13 Kirsten Begg

The Colombian government denied the U.S.'s extradition request for Freddy "El Aleman" Rendon Herrera, a former paramilitary leader wanted by the U.S. for drug trafficking, but approved that of DMG legal advisor Margarita Pabon.

The decision not to extradite El Aleman took into account the Supreme Court's ruling on the matter, which stated that the paramilitary leader must answer to Colombian justice and make reparations to his victims before the issue of extradition can be addressed.

The government and the court have clashed of late. The court canceled a meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, which had been scheduled to discuss Colombia's extradition treaty with the U.S., after the leader called the court's issuance of an arrest warrant for government official Mario Aranguren an "injustice" that causes a "lack of confidence.".

The Supreme Court is considering amending the U.S.-Colombia extradition treaty, due to concern that it interferes with the Justice and Peace process.

El Aleman was close to the notorious Carlos Castaño, who founded paramilitary group the Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Cordoba and Uraba. He was sentenced to fourteen years in prison in October last year for the murder of a child, and has accepted responsibility for the deaths of 451 other people between 1996 and 2001.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/10264-colombia-backs-courts-refusal-to-extradite-el-aleman.html