Neringa Venckienė, a former Lithuanian judge and lawmaker, has appealed a US immigration court's decision to push her asylum hearing from 2019 to 2022, the Delfi.lt online news site reported on Friday.
The ruling, issued in April, lessens her chances of avoiding extradition to Lithuania. The former politician tried to convince US authorities that she only needed several months more in America to obtain asylum.
Venckienė's son, Karolis Venckus, confirmed to Delfi.lt that his mother has appealed the immigration court's decision.
Her lawyer, Mark Davidson, has said the delay undermines her chances of staying in the US. He says the immigration court gave no reason for the three-year delay.
Lithuanian prosecutors want Venckienė to be extradited to stand charges of refusing to obey a court order to return her niece to her mother, molesting the child, illicitly collecting information, abusing her rights as the girl's guardian and other crimes.
Venckienė says that the charges are politically motivated and that her life will be put at risk if she is handed over to Lithuania.
