Overview

• Judge Gustavo Villanueva returned the file to the Supreme Court after the Foreign Ministry relayed that U.S. accusations for narcotrafficking, money laundering and fraud remain in force.
• Villanueva had declared extradition procedente in April 2022 and Prosecutor General Eduardo Casal backed it in 2023, while a defense claim about a U.S. ruling was checked through diplomatic channels and found not to affect the case.
• If the Court authorizes extradition, the dossier will go to the Foreign Ministry and the Executive Branch must decide within ten business days, with refusal allowed only on sovereignty, security or essential-interest grounds.
• Machado has been detained since April 16, 2021, and remains under house arrest in Viedma pending the Supreme Court’s decision.
• The case carries political overtones after reports of a USD 200,000 transfer from an account linked to Machado to Deputy José Luis Espert and dozens of 2019 campaign flights on planes tied to Machado, which Espert says were related to consultancy work.