CAPITÁN CASE: ACCUSED TO REMAIN IN CUSTODY

Guatemala, May 24, 2012. Judge Claudia Elvira González, who presides over the Fifth Court of the First Instance for Criminal Matters, Drug Trafficking and Crimes against the Environment, rejected the Defense's motion to release the accused parties and change the charges they face in the case know as "capitán".

At the hearing to review measures and amend the indictment, which was requested by the Defense, the Judge dismissed both motions on the grounds that a risk of interference with the course of justice and a risk of absconding still existed. Furthermore, the Judge rejected the amendment of the indictment on the grounds that the circumstances that brought about the aforementioned proceeding had not changed. Therefore, the accused parties shall remain in custody pending trial for the following charges:

Ana Sofía Castañeda Deras: Unlawful association and conspiracy to interfere with the course of justice.

Luis Arturo Méndez Martínez: Unlawful association and conspiracy to interfere with the course of justice.

Julio César López Herrera: Unlawful association, conspiracy to interfere with the course of justice, and conspiracy to murder.

Adalberto Carías y Carías: Unlawful association and conspiracy to murder.

Mario Danilo Escobar De León: Unlawful association and conspiracy to murder.

At the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP), the Judge extended the investigation period by one month and set Wednesday, July 4 as the date to present the conclusion and Wednesday, July 18 at 9:00 a.m. as the time of the intermediate hearing.

Background:
On February 11, 2011, Oscar Ricardo Guzmán Berreondo, Navy Commander of the Guatemalan Army, was murdered. Guzmán was the Chief of Staff of the Southern Command of the Pacific Naval Base.

The investigation undertaken to shed light on the murder made it possible to ascertain that Commander Guzmán was the head of an illegal group involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. The detained persons formed part of the illegal group.