Key takeaways:
- Joran van der Sloot’s lawyer, Máximo Altez, has filed a writ of habeas corpus to give van der Sloot due process before his extradition.
- Altez has called the extradition an “abuse of authority” that violates his client’s rights.
- Van der Sloot’s lawyer has now challenged the extradition, and it is unclear when the court action will be heard or when a decision will be made.
Joran van der Sloot, the main suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American student Natalee Holloway, will not be extradited to the United States as planned on Thursday. His lawyer, Máximo Altez, has filed a writ of habeas corpus, a court action that will give van der Sloot due process before his extradition.
Altez said that neither he nor van der Sloot were notified of the extradition order to Alabama on charges of a fraud scheme connected to Holloway and her family. He called the extradition an “abuse of authority” that violates his client’s rights.
Van der Sloot was issued a provisional passport for the process Monday, but Altez said he “has not accepted it.” Altez said van der Sloot reversed course following a meeting with Dutch diplomats.
The Peruvian government had confirmed the extradition would take place Thursday, but van der Sloot’s lawyer has now challenged the extradition. It is unclear when the court action will be heard or when a decision will be made.
Van der Sloot has been in prison in Peru since 2010 on charges of killing a woman there. He has denied any involvement in Holloway’s disappearance.
Be First to Comment