Colombia says US has withdrawn extradition request for man erroneously charged

BOGOTA, Colombia – The Colombian Prosecutor's Office says the U.S. has withdrawn its extradition request for a rural carpenter it erroneously charged with high-stakes money laundering.

A prosecutor's office official spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly about the case.

He says the U.S. Justice Department told Colombian officials it erred in seeking the extradition of Ariel Josue Martinez.

Martinez says he couldn't have made more than $911,000 in electronic money transfers as a U.S court charged because he doesn't know how to use a computer. Colombia had suspended the extradition pending further investigation.

Michelle Alvarez is a spokeswoman for the Miami U.S. attorney's office, said Wednesday. She said the agency was looking into the matter carefully.