Brasilia: Brazil's Supreme Court has approved the extradition to Argentina of retired Uruguayan military officer, Manuel Cordero, wanted for his role in Operation Condor, a plan to eliminate political opponents, in the 1970s.
The top Brazilian court said on Thursday that Cordero faces several charges, including responsibility for the 1976 "disappearance" of Argentine child Aldaberto Soba Fernandes.
The charges are linked to Cordero's involvement in Operation Condor, the secret plan hatched by South American dictators in the 1970s to eliminate their political opponents in the region.
He is wanted by Argentina for the torture, disappearance and killings of leftist Uruguayan activists in 1976 in the "Automotores Orletti" secret detention centre in Buenos Aires.
Cordero, 70, has been under house arrest since December 19, avoiding prison due to an earlier heart surgery. He married a Brazilian woman 32 years ago.
After three years at large, the former Uruguayan Army colonel and intelligence officer was arrested in February 2007 in the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, just across the border with Uruguay.
Uruguay has also requested Cordero's extradition but he is being sent to Argentina because that is where the alleged crimes took place.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, August 07, 2009, 12:01