Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos authorized the extradition of Leiver Padilla Mendoza, a man wanted in Venezuela for the murder of a Caracas politician named Robert Serra.

The body of the 27-year-old member of parliament was found bound, having suffered beatings and multiple stab wounds to the chest on Oct. 1, 2014. Serra’s female assistant, María Herrera, had also been found stabbed to death on the scene.

Padilla, who enjoys dual Colombian and Venezuelan nationality, is suspected by Venezuela of being the mastermind behind Serra's death.

Serra was the youngest member of the Venezuelan National Assembly and was considered an important rising political figure in the governing United Socialist Party. His murder had a devastating effect on the country as three days of national mourning were declared after his death.

As reported by the BBC, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced his beliefs that Serra's death was political in nature and was carried out by Colombian paramilitaries, adding that Serra's bodyguard had confessed to conspiring with a Colombian gang to murder him.

As noted in the Economist, despite the country’s deep political divide between the followers of the late President Hugo Chávez and the opposition party, political assassination is a rare occurrence in Venezuela.

The Colombian Supreme Court had asked for assurances that Padilla would be fairly treated before leting him go to Venezuela. Delays in the suspect’s extradition have already caused tensions between the two South American countries.

All this comes at a time of much political turmoil for Venezuela as Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez earlier announced, via social media, that eight Venezuelan military officers had been convicted of attempting to initiate a coup against Maduro's government.

Back in February, Maduro announced that a retired air force general had been arrested and more than 10 other individuals had been implicated in a plot to attack the presidential palace as well as other buildings.