Posted on 09/20/2009 6:57:41 PM PDT by Ebenezer
(English-language translation)
BOGOTA - On Saturday, Colombia extradited to the United States FARC [member] Nancy Conde Rubio, from whom the authorities intercepted her telephone conversations and thus secured the rescue of 15 kidnapping victims in the guerrilla [organization's] power.
There were three Americans among the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) captives.
Thirty-seven-year-old Conde was extradited on an airplane belonging to U.S. anti-drug authorities, said General Luis Ramírez with the Police Criminal Investigation Directorate.
He added that the airplane was initially headed for Florida and, from there, the detainee, who was wearing handcuffs and a bulletproof vest, will be taken to the court she is expected in.
Conde, alias "Doris Adriana", is wanted by the Court of the District of Columbia in the United States for crimes of "conspiracy to favor terrorist organizations" and "material support for terrorist organizations".
The detainee was the romantic companion of guerrilla Gerardo Aguilar, alias "César", who was also extradited to the United States in July and who was in charge of keeping in captivity the three Americans and former [Colombian] presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, among other hostages.
In a raid undertaken on July 2, 2008, the Army rescued Betancourt, the three Americans, and 11 police officers and military personnel. "César" was captured during the raid as well.
Part of the information that led to the rescue came from a call Conde made in 2003 to acquaintances in Miami to help her obtain satellite telephones for FARC, according to statements by Colombian and American investigators.
The Colombian and American authorities then began to intercept the calls and, in February 2008, arrested Conde, who was the financial head of the rebel group.
"Unfortunately, the government once again sold its sovereignty and denied this lady a trial in Colombia," said the rebel's attorney Armando Camacho during a telephone interview in which he criticized the extradition. "She had a lot of things to say," he added.
According to the attorney, the insurgent left her 35-month-old son Javier Dávison in Colombia.
From the women's prison she was detained in Bogota, Conde told Radio RCN on Thursday that the extradition is unjust. "I am being extradited for being César's companion, and I am not his companion anymore," she pointed out.
The extradition-request document states that Conde and her companion "concerted to command a logistical-support and supply network" of FARC.
To date, and since taking office in August 2002, [Colombian President] Alvaro Uribe has extradited some 900 Colombians, almost all of them to the United States on narcotraffic charges.
Odumbo will give them a pardon.
Only to be released.
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