Spain has agreed to extradite Ecuador’s former intelligence director, Pablo Romero. Romero is wanted, along with former president Rafael Correa in connection to the 2012 kidnapping in Colombia of politician and Correa critic Fernando Balda.
Pablo Romero with former president Rafael Correa in 2015.
“We are pleased to announce that the Spanish court has agreed to Ecuador’s request to extradite Pablo Romero Quezada, ex-director of the National Secretariat of Intelligence (Senain) so he can stand trial in a criminal case in Ecuador’s National Court of Justice,” a spokesman for the attorney general said Monday.
Spain had delayed a decision in the case last year, asking Ecuador for more details. The attorney general’s office said that that information was provided in November.
Romero was detained in Madrid in June but was released on the condition that he remain in Spain while Ecuador’s extradition request was processed.
Ecuadorian prosecutors say Romero will be tried for his role in the Balda kidnapping but is also wanted for questioning regarding Correa’s role in the alleged crime.
There is no timetable for the extradition, Spanish authorities say. Romero’s attorney say the extradition order will be challenged through Spanish and international legal channels.
