The Prosecutor’s Office has opposed the fact that Daniel Sancho is extradited from Thailand to Spain to be tried and imprisoned in his country of origin. The defense of the son of the actor Rodolfo Sancho is trying by all means to have the young man made available to the Spanish authorities and, therefore, to avoid trial for murder in the Asian country.
The way to do it is a previous case that Sancho has for an alleged crime of injuries and that is pending prosecution. His lawyer had asked that he be extradited to Spain to face the trial and, from there, try to have him stay in a Spanish prison.
On the other hand, the Prosecutor’s Office has opposed the approach and warns that there is not even a fixed date for the holding of the oral hearing. The cause for which he is being prosecuted in Spain is minor, there is no risk of escape because he is taken in Thailand and there are no indications that he went to the Asian country to escape from Spanish justice. The arguments are sufficient for the prosecutor to deny delivery.
In Thailand, Sancho faces the death penalty for the premeditated murder of surgeon Edwin Arrieta on the island of Phangan, as detailed by the deputy director of the Thai Police, Surachate Hakparn, after conducting the investigation. From what is known so far, Sancho, who was in a relationship with Arrieta, killed him and then dismembered him. It was the same young man who reported his friend’s disappearance to the police station.
Sancho had a procedure open for a crime of injury in which the Prosecutor’s Office had requested a sentence of one year in prison. On November 30, 2021, the investigation phase was concluded and, since then, a trial date has been pending. The matter was paralyzed until on September 8, after the events in Thailand, Sancho’s lawyer asked the court to claim the accused through an extradition so that he could be present at the injury trial.
The attitude of the defense does not convince the Prosecutor’s Office, which considers that there are other ways to try the young man when the time comes, such as using the video conference system from Thailand. In addition, the public ministry warns that, given the sentence that is demanded in Spain, of less than two years, it is feasible that in case of being convicted, the prison sentence will be replaced by a fine.
However, the extradition of Sancho from Thailand to Spain would also be unfeasible at this procedural moment because, as the Prosecutor’s Office recalls in the brief, the agreement that exists between the authorities of all countries is that the extradition can only take place once found guilty and sentenced. For this reason, any request for international cooperation would be made under the principle of reciprocity.
Therefore, for the Prosecutor’s Office there are other methods for the young person to face the trial in Spain by other means, such as video conferencing or even temporary transfer to Spain solely to hold the trial and deliver him from back to Thailand.
