‘Strunk extradition takes one to two years’

Even if the Philippine government has started the extradition proceedings against him, American Rod Lauren Strunk could still stay in the United States for one to two more years, the period in which a US court would determine whether there is sufficient grounds to extradite him.

For the meantime, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) hopes that Strunk would be jailed in the US after a US court’s evaluation of the Philippine government’s request to have him extradited in connection with the murder of multi-awarded actress Nida Blanca.

According to Ricardo Diaz, chief of the NBI-International Police (Interpol) Division, evaluation of the extradition request of a government to another government usually takes a month, after which the US which has jurisdiction over the person who is being extradited would rule whether there was sufficient ground for his extradition.

"(Although) he’s an American citizen, we expect full-blown hearings of his extradition. I expect it (extradition proceedings) to take one to two years," Diaz said.

The Philippine government is now coordinating with the US government for the immediate extradition of Strunk, who has been charged with murder for allegedly masterminding the slaying of Blanca on Nov. 7, 2001. The NBI believes the bureau has an airtight case against Strunk, who was positively identified by Philip Medel Jr., the alleged Blanca’s killer as the one who hired him to kill the actress.

Pasig City Judge Alex Quiros issued a warrant of arrest against Strunk after the Department of Justice found probable cause to indict Strunk for the murder of Blanca, who was Dorothy Jones in real life.

The arrest order against Strunk would be used as basis by the DOJ in asking the US Justice Department to help facilitate his immediate extraditioin to the Philippines. – Cecille Suerte Felipe