🔒 Venezuelan national languishes in jail for over 4 years in extradition case

Juan Carlos Gonzales Infante, a 61-year-old Venezuelan national wanted by the US for drug smuggling and money laundering, has spent more than four years in HMP Northward without a conviction in Cayman. Gonzales arrived in Cayman in 2019 as a co-pilot on a private plane carrying gold. Although he and three other men were acquitted of smuggling charges in 2020, Gonzales has remained in custody since then. His appeal against extradition to the US has been continually postponed, mainly due to issues with legal aid. 🏦

Prosecutor Toyin Salako has urged the court to intervene and have the Department of Legal Aid director explain the continuous deferrals. Gonzales, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, has been in jail for 1,288 days while fighting extradition. The appeal is scheduled for January, but there are concerns that this date may also be missed. The Department of Legal Aid is reportedly questioning the need for reports and other research to support Gonzales' challenge to the US extradition request. 📚

Salako raised concerns about potential human rights violations due to the length of Gonzales' remand and the impact on Cayman's international standing regarding its extradition agreements. Gonzales' attorney, Jonathon Hughes, stated that essential medical reports are needed for the extradition hearing, but without legal aid, there are no means to fund them. Gonzales himself has expressed the toll the lengthy proceedings have taken on his mental and physical health and his family. 🌍