The Criminal Chamber of the Venezuelan Supreme Court (TSJ) issued a ruling Monday approving the notification to the United States that it has 60 days from today to formally request the extradition of its citizen Leonard Glenn Francis, whom Washington had requested through an Interpol alert.
Francis, who is accused by U.S. justice of bribing high-ranking members of his country’s navy, was arrested in Caracas last Sept. 20 after traveling through Mexico and Cuba while fleeing authorities.
The American businessman was under house arrest in California, United States, at the time of his escape.
Venezuelan intelligence arrested the U.S. citizen and presented him to the 27th Control Court of Caracas, where he was declared a prisoner.
According to the Interpol warning letter, Francis, former president of the Glenn Defense Marine company, which provided services to the U.S. Navy in Asia, is accused of defrauding the United States of more than US$35 million.
Judges of Venezuela’s highest court noted that the defendant’s file does not contain a formal extradition request from the United States, which was deemed necessary to consider all legal requirements for extradition proceedings.
The TSJ informed that if the required documents are not submitted within 60 days, the citizen’s release must take place following the provisions of the extradition treaty signed between Venezuela and the United States 100 years ago (1922).