Global Courant
Joran van der Sloot left a prison in Lima, Peru, on Thursday morning and is on his way to Jorge Chavez International Airport, where he will be handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation before departing for the United States.
Van der Sloot is the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba in May 2005 during a senior trip to Mountain Brook High School, Alabama. He faces federal charges related to an alleged extortion scheme linked to her disappearance.
He is scheduled to be temporarily transferred to the United States on Thursday, barring any last-minute court decisions that would block his travel to the United States.
Van der Sloot was held in Ancón 1 prison, just outside Lima.
JORAN VAN DER SLOT AGAINST OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM 18 YEARS AFTER NATALEE HOLLOWAY’S DISAPPEARANCE IN ARUBA
Van der Sloot is the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba in May 2005 during a senior trip to Mountain Brook High School, Alabama. He faces federal charges related to an alleged extortion scheme linked to her disappearance. (AP)
Maximo Altez, a lawyer for Van der Sloot, filed a final appeal on Wednesday in an attempt to prevent his client from coming to the United States.
Altez also told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the Peruvian court has not yet rejected his habeas corpus petition he filed Tuesday.
Altez’s habeas corpus petition says his client was not notified by Peruvian officials of the “temporary extradition” process against him, which Altez says is a “serious violation of the constitution.”
ZAK JORAN VAN DER SLOT: LAWYER SUSPECT NATALEE HOLLOWAY DOES LAST POSSIBILITIES TO BLOCK TRANSFER TO US
Joran van der Sloot left a prison in Lima, Peru on Thursday morning and is on his way to Jorge Chavez International Airport, where he will be handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation before departing for the United States. (Reuters)
On Wednesday, a Peruvian court ordered the director of Ancón 1 Prison to notify Van der Sloot of the impending transfer.
Van der Sloot was held in a Peruvian prison for the 2010 murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores. He was originally sentenced to 28 years in prison for the murder, but was given more time due to a drug smuggling scandal he was involved in in the jail.
He faces charges of racketeering and telephone fraud in the US after allegedly attempting to sell Beth Holloway, Natalee’s mother, information about the location of her daughter’s body in March 2010.
Federal prosecutors say Van der Sloot asked for $250,000 – $25,000 upfront for the information and had to pay the rest when Natalee Holloway’s body was positively identified
Natalee Holloway was last seen alive in Aruba on a high school field trip in Mountain Brook. (Federal Office of Investigation)
Global Courant
However, Van der Sloot lied to Beth Holloway’s lawyer, John Q. Kelly, about the whereabouts of her daughter’s remains, US prosecutors said.
Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Adam.Sabes@fox.com and on Twitter @asabes10.
