President Juan Carlos Varela said Thursday that although former Colombian Intelligence Director María del Pilar Hurtado has no political asylum status in the country, he will not issue an order for her arrest.
"There is a request for extradition by the government of Colombia that has been received and it will be handled by the Foreign Ministry," Varela said in an interview with Caracol TV.

Hurtado is accused of multiple crimes related to illegal wiretaps she ordered while working in the government of President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010). These charges include embezzlement by appropriation, ideological misrepresentation in a public document, abuse of public office, illicit violation of communications and conspiracy.
Hurtado was granted asylum by Panama in 2010 but lost her status in May when the Supreme Court ruled the asylum to be unconstitutional.
Varela, who attended the inauguration of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Thursday in Bogota, said that Hurtado has no legal immigration status in Panama. When the previous government gave asylum to Hurtado, it was done as a contribution to social peace in Colombia due to the change in government in that country.