THE EXTRADITION request  for ex-president Ricardo Martinellie that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to file with US authorities will be delayed for at least 15 more days.

The latest hitch  is because Supreme Court  Judge  Harry Diaz,  prosecutor of the case, is on vacation until Sept. 6. He must file a statement in the case before the request, which has been pending for months, can be submitted.

[caption id="attachment_60456" align="alignleft" width="300"] A La Prensa cartoonist's take on Judge Harry Diaz[/caption]

Asked about the delay, Diaz said that he had been informed about the need for a statement by the ministry on Aug. 4, but did not file it before leaving for vacation.

Díaz said he was not formally apprised of the situation, but learned about the requirement "unofficially."

Some of the victims in the case, which includes journalists, union leaders and political opponents of the former president, have demanded that the court speed up the extradition process.

Martinelli fled the country in January 2015, the day he was indicted by the Supreme Court, and is living in Miami.

Mitchell Doens, one of the victims and a leader of the PRD party, said that the process is frustrating.

"We have been waiting for months," he said.