DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PRISON SYSTEM CONVICTED ON A SECOND OCCASION

Guatemala, June 12, 2013. Today, Court A of the First Criminal Instance for High-Risk Matters sentenced Vidal Efraín Requena Mazariegos to 8 years in prison. The former Deputy Director of the prison system was convicted of criminal association, after it was determined that he had links to a criminal organization involved in drug trafficking and killings. This is the second time the former public official has stood trial in the same case; however, this time, he faced a new charge.

The Court admitted the evidence presented by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) in the oral proceedings, including monetary deposit slips found at properties searched by authorities, a CICIG report describing the makeup of the criminal structure, and the payroll records of the criminal organization with the name of Vidal Requena, among others.

First oral proceeding
On July 11, 2012, Court B of the First Instance for High-Risk Matters sentenced Requena Mazariegos to six years in prison for money laundering. Prior to these proceedings, the MP and CICIG had accused the former public official of criminal association and money laundering, but Carol Patricia Flores, the presiding judge, ordered to discontinue the criminal prosecution for the charge of criminal association.

Therefore, CICIG appealed the decision and, in February, the First Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the decision of the judge. The judges of the First Chamber deemed that Judge Flores had abused her powers by closing the criminal association case against Vidal Requena.

Background
On April 24, 2009, an armed confrontation took place between National Civil Police (PNC) officers and suspected drug traffickers, causing the death of 5 police officers. At a later stage, authorities seized 370 kg of cocaine and an arsenal of weapons. Vidal Requena used his bank account to launder the drug-trafficking money of the criminal organization.