COURT LINKS FORMER POLICE DIRECTOR AND THREE FORMER RANK-AND-FILE OFFICERS TO PROCEEDINGS

Guatemala, March 27, 2012. The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) and the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) presented 190 pieces of evidence against the following parties: Marlene Raquel Blanco Lapola, former director of the National Civil Police and former vice minister of security; the police chief of the Civil National Police, Edwin Nathaniel Chipix Notz; and the former officers, Lino Efrén García Castillo and Israel Cháves Cháves. As a result, the parties were remanded in custody and linked to proceedings for their alleged ties to a parallel structure—which operates within the Police and the Ministry of the Interior—involved in contract killings.

At the initial appearance, held on Monday, March 26 at Court B of the First Criminal Instance for High-risk Matters, Judge Miguel Ángel Gálvez linked Blanco Lapola to proceedings for allegedly committing criminal association and the extrajudicial killing of three people. The other three accused parties face charges of criminal association and of extrajudicial killing one person. In addition, a count of accountability of public officer bearers was added to the charges faced by Chipix Notz.

Among the evidence presented by CICIG and the MP are witness statements, documentation from different state institutions, expert witness statements, emails and early evidence statements. This was sufficient for Judge Gálvez to remand them in custody because of the risk of the accused parties interfering with the investigation.

At the proceedings, CICIG and MP attorneys argued that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that Blanco Lapola ran this parallel structure and ordered that the alleged extortionists be murdered. In addition, they pointed out that, as the accused parties were bearers of public office, they had the duty to uphold the rule of law and be subject to the law.

Prior to the hearing, Judge Gálvez declared that a plea made by the Defense for retroactive immunity was inadmissible. In the plea, the Defense set forth that the accused party benefited from immunity at the time of the events as she was holding public office.

Blanco Lapola was sent to the Santa Teresa Detention Center for Women and the other three accused parties were sent to the Detention Center for Men, both of which are located in Zone 18 of the capital. The judge set a two-month deadline for the MP to file an indictment against the four accused parties.

CICIG acts as a complementary prosecutor in this criminal proceeding. The proceedings are confidential.