At the forum "Young and Committed", Commissioner Iván Velásquez called upon the youth to join forces in fighting impunity.
PRESS RELEASE 014
REARRESTED: FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE PRISON SYSTEM LINKED TO AMATITLÁN CASE
Guatemala, March 15, 2012. Today, the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) and National Civil Police (PNC), together with CICIG officials, arrested Vidal Efraín Requena Mazariegos, former Deputy Director of the Prison System. Requena Mazariegos is accused under the Amatitlán case of laundering money due to his alleged ties to a drug trafficking organization.
Vidal Requena was firstly arrested in 2011, but was later awarded house arrest by Judge Carol Patricia Flores, who presides over a high-risk matters court.
CICIG appealed the decision and the Second Chamber of Criminal Appeals revoked the alternative prison measures awarded by the judge, citing the risk of flight and impeding the investigation as the reason. Requena had previously held positions at the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP), the Judiciary (OJ), the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) and the General Directorate of Civil Intelligence (DIGICI).
Requena Mazariegos was remanded in custody once more pending a decision on the opening of oral arguments.
BACKGROUND FACTS:
In August 2011, Requena Mazariegos was arrested because of his ties to a drug trafficking group; linked to proceedings on charges of criminal association, passive bribery, laundering of money and other assets; and remanded in custody.
On September 8, 2011, Requena's defense counsel requested that the detention measure be reviewed and, as a result, the court granted the accused house arrest as an alternative detention measure.
On September 12, 2011, CICIG filed an appeal against the order of September 8.
On October 17, 2011, the Second Chamber of Criminal Appeals overturned the appealed order. Subsequently, Requena's defense counsel filed an application for review in respect of the second instance decision. The application was dismissed for obvious reasons. More than a month later, the defense counsel of Requena filed an application for amparo against the second instance decision, which was declared inadmissible on the grounds that it was untimely.
The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) acts as a complementary prosecutor to these criminal proceedings.
Listen to press release. Voice of Diego Alvarez, CICIG Press Officer.
Guatemala, March 15, 2012. Today, the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) and National Civil Police (PNC), together with CICIG officials, arrested Vidal Efraín Requena Mazariegos, former Deputy Director of the Prison System. Requena Mazariegos is accused under the Amatitlán case of laundering money due to his alleged ties to a drug trafficking organization.
The Republic of Guatemala, a mountainous country that lies in the Central American isthmus, has an estimated population of 13 million people.
