The National Attorney General, Abel Rodriguez del Orbe, told the news media last week that he favors the extradition of the former Argentine Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Teresa Meccia de Palma, together with her husband and son, for their alleged involvement in the murder of 12-year-old Jose Rafael Llenas Aybar, who was stabbed to death near property belonging to the Meccia-Palma family near the Lebron River. Although Mrs. Meccia de Palma’s son, Martin Luis Palma Meccia, and husband, Luis Palma, are reported to have been implicated by one of the confessed killers, Mario Jose Redondo Llenas, Dr. Rodriguez del Orbe said that it would be “very difficult” to obtain the extradition due to the diplomatic immunity enjoyed by the Meccia-Palma family at the time of the murder.
Judge Alexis Henríquez Nuñez, who has been conducting the preliminary investigation into the case, has asked for another extension of 45 days to continue interviews with those having any possible connection with the murder. The General Prosecutor of the Santo Domingo Court of Appeals, Jose Amado Cedano, is expected to grant the extension, which would be the second given to Judge Henríquez Nuñez since he began his work on 20 May, 17 days after the murder.