Colombia’s Prosecutor General said Thursday the money seized from criminals extradited to the U.S. would be divided equally between the two countries, local media reported.
During a tour of the United States, Eduardo Montealegre, Colombia’s Prosecutor General, said both the U.S. Attorney General and the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration shared his view that a portion of the confiscated funds should go to reparations for Colombian crime victims.
The new policy would require the two countries to alter their existing extradition treaty, which has been in place since 1991.
Montealegre estimated the money seized from Colombians extradited in the last five years ran to about $3 billion.
He also suggested streamlining the country’s judicial requirements for extradition to fall in line with U.S. regulations.
“Many times, ongoing trials in the United States are important in driving processes in Colombia…. In all cases where there is the extradition of Colombians to the United States, we will share the test,” said Montealegre.
