Rafael Vela: “If Eliane Karp manages to leave the United States for Belgium, she will not be extradited and impunity will be generated”

the senior prosecutor Raphael Velacoordinator of the Lava Jato special team, warned on Wednesday that the former first lady Eliane Karpaccused of alleged money laundering in the Ecoteva casecan escape Peruvian justice before the imminent extradition of her husband, the former president Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006).

On this day, Karp asked the authorities to California (United States) return your passport for travel to Belgiumhis native country, in order to visit his mother, Eva Fernenbugwho would be about to die.

The US State Department has asked the national prosecutor’s office to express its point of view on the request of the former first lady, for whom the public prosecutor requires 16 years and nine months of prison for Ecoteva, an investigation on an “offshore” company constituted by his parent in Costa Rica, and with whose funds your spouse purchased property in Peru.

“Yes, Mrs. Eliane Karp manages to leave the United States for Belgium, we will not be able to extradite her and obvious impunity would be generated in the case (…) It is possible that she could also seek Israel as a destination, where there is also difficulties in extraditing his compatriots,” he pointed out. Vela in dialogue with Trade.

“It is obvious that the surrender of Mr. Alejandro Toledo generates a decline in the roots (of his wife) and as such, it should be ensured that Mrs. Karp does not escape justice,” he said.

The magistrate, who presented the criminal charge against the former presidential marriage in June 2019, recalled that Belgium “does not extradite its compatriots”.

“With the same procedure that took place with Alejandro Toledo (in the Odebrecht-Interoceánica case), it will have to be generated against both (by Ecoteva): Mr. Toledo and Mrs. Karp. In the case of Mr. Toledo, he will determine an extension of his extradition; and in the case of Ms. Karp, an extradition for the Ecoteva case,” he said.

“It is critical that US authorities be able to generate the rooting levels and ensure Ms. Karp’s presence for the joint extradition process,” he added. Elsewhere in the interview, Vela remarked that if Toledo refuses to make himself available to the American authorities, an “arrest warrant against him” would be generated.

“This management, which must be done before a judge, would materialize that he is put in safety by force. That, as this is a court decision, it is relative to be able to speculate on how long it may take. But it should be right away too, because there is no pending discussion“, said.

Resident at UNITED STATESthe former head of state was arrested in July 2019 for corruption and is under house arrest at his California home, guarded with an electronic shackle.

Prosecutors are asking for a prison sentence of 20 years and six months. American justice assures that he received Bribes Odebrecht and that the financial documents proving receipt of the money would imply his admission that he was receiving bribes.

However, Toledo claims he is innocent and was a deceased businessman, Josef Maiman, who received the bribes. The former president is part of the list of former Peruvian presidents prosecuted or convicted for corruption: Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), Ollanta Humala (2011-2016), Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-2018), Martín Vizcarra (2018 – 2020) and Pedro Castillo (2021-2022).